Over 40 million euros will be available in the future years for businesses interested in purchasing a green vehicle. A vehicle that runs on hydrogen or is electric can apply for a subsidy starting next month.

The subsidy fund this year is 13.5 million dollars. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, large businesses might be compensated up to 40% of the additional expenditures incurred when compared to a diesel truck. This figure jumps to 60% in businesses with less than ten employees.

“Electric vehicles are far more costly than diesel ones. That is why, according to State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen, “we provide financial help to entrepreneurs who switch.” Electric trucks can be significantly more costly than diesel trucks.

Only 202 vehicles out of about 160,000 in the Netherlands are clean trucks. In three years, the ministry expects it to reach at least 1,000, and by 2030, it should have risen to over 16,000 people. All new trucks must be clean ten years later.

The delays at big truck manufacturers are impeding the greening of the truck fleet. The introduction of the electric Tesla Semi, for example, has been repeatedly postponed. This is set to happen in 2023. Nikola, a competitor, will begin delivering its electric Tre this year.

Transport businesses must evolve. The EU will tighten trucking regulations, but cities in the Netherlands will be able to prohibit diesel trucks starting in 2025. Nearly thirty towns have already expressed an interest in implementing this.