KfW Program 440 - Charging Stations for Electric Cars - Wallbox

Hello everyone,

I just happened to come across the KfW program 440 --> Charging stations for electric cars.

Since we are currently in the building permit completion phase and will start in May 2021, the question now arises for us whether to pre-install such a wallbox in our garage.

Is anyone else currently dealing with this topic?

1. The first point for us is the pre-installation of three-phase power - has anyone had experience with this? Approximately how high are the costs with a general contractor? It shouldn’t cost that much, or am I mistaken?

2. It would of course be crucial if someone already has an offer for such a wallbox including all services? How expensive is something like this? Can I get it almost for free? In other words: wallbox for €1,000 --> grant €900 effectively causes costs of €100.

3. Should one actually think about this now, or will this KfW program most likely still be available in the next few years? Does it therefore only make sense to first think about the preparation of the three-phase connection?

Feel free to start a discussion here, I hope for a lot of input :)

Is anyone currently dealing with this topic as well?

A friend just completed the order of the box. KfW applied for and approval received. Purchase via EON, who also offer the box for around €900 when concluding the electricity contract. Worked out quite well.

Since we are currently in the building permit completion phase and will start in May 2021, the question now arises whether we should pre-install such a wall box in our garage.

That is always sensible. KfW funding only applies to existing buildings, not new construction.

1. Point for us is the pre-installation of three-phase power – has anyone had experience with this? Approximately how much do costs run with a general contractor? It shouldn’t be particularly expensive, or am I mistaken?

That is just one cable plus circuit protection. Should be a manageable price in new construction.

2. It would of course be crucial if someone already has an offer for such a wall box including all services? How expensive is something like that? Do I get it almost for free? In other words: Wall box for €1,000 --> subsidy €900 effectively causes €100 in costs.

As mentioned, KfW only applies to existing buildings. In existing buildings, all-in including electrician services costs usually start at around €2,000. I know prices from existing buildings (once in underground garage and once in single-family house) between €3,500 and €4,500 for the complete package (minus subsidy), but in those cases cables had to be newly laid and, for example, a DEHN combined arrester had to be newly installed. The problem is that you must have a controllable box. That is inherently expensive. Mine currently costs €1,600 – for the box alone.

3. Should one actually think about this now, or will this KfW program most likely still exist for the next few years? Does it therefore only make sense to think about the preparation of the three-phase power connection for the time being?

Since you a) currently do not get funding for the box (unless you live in a federal state that also offers other funding pots, like NRW until the end of 2020) and b) e-mobility will in my opinion be increasingly supported in the future, you should have the cable laid and take a look again after moving in.

We are currently building and I have used it right away. I spoke to the electrician and got a quote.

Costs without a separate electricity meter are €1,150 gross, with an electricity meter €1,600 gross. Delivery, installation, and connection included.

Regarding new construction:
"A subsidy for new constructions is not possible.

You only receive the subsidy for residential buildings that already exist. Specifically, this means: As soon as you have moved in, a new house is also considered an existing building – then you can apply for the subsidy and order the charging station. We recommend installing empty conduits for future wiring during construction."

[A friend has just completed the order for the box. Applied through KfW and received approval. Purchase via EON, who also offer the box for around €900 when concluding the electricity contract. Worked out quite well.

That is always sensible. However, KfW funding only applies to existing buildings, not new constructions.

It's just one cable plus a fuse. Should be a manageable price in new builds.

As I said, KfW only applies to existing buildings. In existing buildings, the all-in cost including electrician services usually starts at around €2,000. From experience with existing buildings (once in an underground garage and once in a single-family house), prices range between €3,500 and €4,500 for the complete package (minus funding), but cables had to be newly laid and, for example, a DEHN combined arrester had to be newly installed.
The problem is that you must have a controllable box. That is inherently expensive. Mine currently costs €1,600 – just the box.

Since a) the box is currently not subsidized (unless you live in a federal state that offers other funding pots, such as NRW until the end of 2020) and b) e-mobility will, in my opinion, be subsidized even more in the future, you should have the cable laid and look further after moving in.]
You assume that in existing buildings cables must be laid and connected. If that is the case, it will of course be more expensive. But I suspect that many (including me) who have built in the last 2 years and have already moved in have a heavy-duty cable lying around exactly for this purpose at the garage or carport. Which means, just buy, wire outside, and mount the box.

For everyone else, it doesn’t stay with the €2k or whatever you estimated, since it certainly also means digging, laying cable, and then re-paving again.

Concrete offer (This is how it will also be implemented soon) A substantial amount of euros will still be deducted from the sum due to the already applied for and confirmed funding (or will be reimbursed) New construction here as well, after construction it will be inventory as mentioned above.

My recommendation is, by the way, to choose a wallbox that does not have an integrated cable.

Because currently, we have a heterogeneous landscape regarding the connectors on the car. Mine can currently do Chademo and Type 1. Chademo is unaffordable. A future new electric car will be able to do Type 2 or CCS or whatever.

No one knows...