Save up to €131,900 per vehicle purchase with 'AANZeT

In last week's article, we informed you about the EIA, KIA, MIA and VAMIL regulations. All schemes aimed at making the purchase of energy-saving business resources financially more attractive. In this article, we discuss the purchase subsidy Zero-Emission Trucks scheme. An arrangement that can help you save up to €131,900 on a future vehicle purchase. The AANZeT scheme is intended for transport operators that want to purchase a fully emission-free truck in vehicle category N2 (from 4,250 kg) or N3.

An arrangement that allows you to save up to €131,900 per future vehicle purchase.

The amount of the subsidy depends on the size of your company and the vehicle category. In general, the smaller the company and the heavier the vehicle, the higher the subsidy. The SME framework defines three classes of enterprises:

• Small enterprise: less than 50 staff, up to €10 million annual turnover and/or an annual balance sheet smaller or equal to €10 million.

• Medium size enterprise: less than 250 staff, up to €50 million annual turnover and/or an annual balance sheet smaller or equal to €50 million.

• Large enterprise: more than 250 staff, more than €50 million annual turnover and/or an annual balance sheet greater than €50 million. The vehicle categories shall consist of: N3 truck chassis up to 18,000 kg, N3 truck chassis from 18,000 kg and N3 tractor, with the N3 tractor receiving the most subsidy and the N3 truck chassis up to 18,000 kg receiving the least subsidy. In 2023, the subsidy amounted to between €17,800 and €131,900 per vehicle. In order to be eligible for the AANZeT scheme, your purchase must meet the following conditions:

• The truck must be new

• The truck is completely emission-free. Fuel codes E and W are eligible

• The truck only drives an electric motor

• The truck falls under the vehicle classifications N2 with a weight equal to or greater than 4,250 kg or N3

• The battery pack of the truck must not contain lead In contrast to the EIA, KIA, MIA and VAMIL schemes, where you report within 3 months after purchase, you must submit the AANZeT request in advance to be eligible. You do this by signing a purchase or financial-lease agreement without irrevocable obligations. This means that you can still terminate the purchase contract if you do not receive a grant. So if you have recently purchased a qualifying vehicle and only then decide to apply, you will unfortunately be too late for the subsidy. When you are awarded the AANZeT grant, you must register the vehicle within one year and keep or lease it for at least 4 years. If you do not meet these conditions, you are likely to have to repay the subsidy later. In 2023, the total AANZeT budget was €30 million. A few days after the application opened, requests for €120 million had already been submitted, resulting in a lottery in which 3 out of 4 applications were rejected. In the coming years, the AANZeT budget will increase with the introduction of Truck Toll 2027 and its pre-financing measures. The next possibility to apply for the AANZeT grant is 9 January 2024 at 9:00. The portal will remain open as long as the budget reaches or until 27 December 2024. Indeed, change can often be challenging. However, it is inevitable that sooner or later we should switch to alternative energy sources. When you take this step yourself, it is important to know schemes, deductions, depreciation and grants from which you can benefit. The combination of schemes you choose depends on the type of investments you make. For example, for the purchase of charging points on site you can use the MIA/VAMIL scheme, but not the EIA. To always be informed of the latest information, we recommend that you consult the RVO website regularly. This allows you to make the most of the available financial benefits in your sustainable investment.