Tag Archives: Germany

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Deepdrive: The German Start-Up That Wants to Reinvent the Wheel

There’s something wonderfully audacious about the idea of reinventing the wheel. But that’s precisely what Deepdrive — a Munich-based electric motor start-up — is doing. And, just to really annoy Isaac Newton, they’re putting the engine inside it.

Yes, in-wheel motors. That mad, once-dismissed idea that turns each corner of your car into its own self-propelled power unit. It’s been tried before — usually resulting in too much weight, too much complexity, and not nearly enough range. But Deepdrive’s seven-strong team of ex-Formula Student engineers think they’ve cracked it. And after a few hot laps around the Salzburgring in some heavily disguised Tesla and Volvo prototypes, it’s hard not to believe them.

Efficiency That Actually Means Something

Deepdrive claims its motors can make EVs up to 20 percent more efficient. Not a bad boast in a world where manufacturers trip over themselves for a one-percent gain. Chief engineer and co-founder Alex Rosen says the trick lies in trimming the fat — or rather, the friction.

“When we started, conventional EV drivetrains were losing about 40% of their energy to heat and transmission losses,” Rosen explains. “Now it’s closer to 25%, but that still leaves us a huge margin to work with.”

With an electric motor tucked neatly inside each wheel, there’s no need for driveshafts, differentials or heavy gearboxes. What you get instead is beautifully direct power delivery, ultra-precise torque vectoring, and — because every wheel can act independently — the sort of handling wizardry that’d make a rally engineer blush.

The Space Race

But efficiency is only half the story. Deepdrive’s tech could change how cars look.

Without the bulky central motor or axles to package around, designers suddenly have a blank canvas. Shorter overhangs, lower floors, more cabin space — Rosen calls it “never-seen proportions.” Imagine a supermini with limo legroom, or a low-slung GT with the interior volume of a family hatch.

It’s the kind of design freedom carmakers dream of but rarely get. And the big players are watching. Deepdrive has already attracted €50 million from BMW and Volkswagen, both quietly keen to see if these bright young minds can out-innovate their own R&D departments.

From Student Dream to Industry Disruptor

The Deepdrive story reads like a Silicon Valley fairy tale — except with more pretzels and fewer hoodies. The founders met while building race cars for their university’s Formula Student team in Munich. After graduation, they scattered into Germany’s industrial giants, where they quickly became frustrated by “big company inertia.”

So, in 2021, they jumped ship, pooled their know-how, and set out to prove that in-wheel drive wasn’t a dead end.

“Developing in-wheel motors was our original big idea,” Rosen says. “Everyone said it couldn’t be done economically, but we were obsessed.”

Fast-forward four years, and their obsession has turned into something real — something that’s now thundering around a racetrack near Salzburg under a pair of familiar Swedish and Californian badges.

The Double-Rotor Disruptor

Of course, Deepdrive isn’t stopping there. Their latest project is a dual-rotor electric motor that’s lighter, cheaper and more compact than traditional single-rotor units.

Think of it as the halfway house between conventional EV powertrains and the full in-wheel revolution — ideal for manufacturers not yet ready to ditch the driveshaft. It saves on copper, iron and magnets, which in EV-land translates directly to fewer costs and fewer headaches for supply chains. BMW has already been experimenting with it, and Continental is reportedly sniffing around too.

So, What’s Next?

Deepdrive plans to scale up for small-series car production by 2028. If that sounds ambitious, that’s because it is — but ambition is what got them here in the first place.

There’s still plenty to prove: long-term durability, ride comfort, cost, and how all that cleverness handles real-world potholes. But if Rosen and his team are right, the next big leap in EV tech won’t come from battery chemistry or charging infrastructure.

It’ll come from the wheel itself.

And that, dear reader, might just be the most exciting thing to happen to the automobile since someone first bolted an engine to a cart and decided to go for a drive.

Source: Deepdrive

News

Germany Brings Back EV Subsidies for 2026—But Only for the Everyman

Germany’s electric car buyers are about to get another helping hand from Berlin. Starting in January 2026, the federal government will reintroduce EV subsidies through a €4 billion (£3.4bn) program—but this time, the money’s aimed squarely at the affordable end of the market.

The new scheme, hashed out between Germany’s coalition government and industry leaders last week, will offer up to €4000 (£3400) off the purchase of an electric car priced below €45,000 (£38,250). The message is clear: this isn’t about helping executives get into an electric Audi Q8 e-tron—it’s about getting regular buyers into smaller EVs like the upcoming Volkswagen ID Polo or Renault 5 E-Tech.

And unlike the last round of incentives, plug-in hybrids are out. To qualify, a vehicle must emit less than 50g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP cycle, meaning only fully electric cars make the cut.

Lessons from the Past

The move comes two years after Germany abruptly scrapped its previous subsidy program in 2023—a scheme that critics say disproportionately benefited premium brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, whose pricier EVs soaked up much of the available funding. This time, officials say they’ve learned their lesson.

In addition to the tighter price ceiling, the new plan introduces income-based eligibility, limiting the grant to households earning under €45,000 a year. That’s a major shift in philosophy: Germany’s new subsidies won’t just favor cheaper cars, they’ll favor buyers who actually need the help.

Used EVs Join the Club

Perhaps the most innovative twist is that used electric cars will also qualify—a European first. Policymakers hope this will stimulate the secondhand EV market, which has lagged behind expectations due to slow depreciation and limited supply. If successful, the German approach could serve as a blueprint for other EU nations looking to make electric mobility accessible beyond new-car showrooms.

Europe Aligns Its EV Push

Germany’s new policy echoes moves in France and Italy, where governments have recently shifted subsidies toward domestically built, lower-cost EVs. Across Europe, the political tone is increasingly about protecting local manufacturing while making electrification attainable for middle-income drivers.

It’s also not lost on observers that the program arrives just months after the UK revived its Electric Car Grant, offering £1500–£3750 off sub-£37,000 EVs.

Funding and Rollout

The subsidies will draw funding from Germany’s Climate and Transformation Fund and the EU Climate Social Fund, with applications processed through the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control. The grant will be paid post-registration, ensuring only verified sales benefit.

With the average EV in Germany still hovering around €52,000, this scheme won’t instantly make electric cars affordable for everyone. But by shifting focus from luxury brands to everyday drivers, Berlin’s government is signaling a reset in Europe’s EV strategy: less prestige, more practicality.

If all goes according to plan, the electric revolution might finally reach the people it was supposed to serve in the first place.

Source: Autocar

News

Germany’s New EV Incentive: Three Billion Euros, Two Million Opinions, and One Big Question — Will It Work?

The Germans are doing what Germans do best: pressing the reset button with precision engineering flair. This time, it’s not on a gearbox or an infotainment screen, but on their entire electric-vehicle incentive scheme.

Yes, Berlin has decided that electric cars deserve another government-backed push — but this time, only for the people who actually need the help. Think low to middle-income households, not company directors in Taycans.

Three billion euros have been set aside for the plan, stretching through 2029 and sourced from the ever-mysterious Climate and Transformation Fund. The EU might even chip in — though, as always, Brussels’ paperwork moves slower than a 2004 Golf TDI in eco-mode.

The details? Still fuzzier than the infotainment screen of a first-gen BMW i3. What exactly counts as “middle income” in Germany remains anyone’s guess, though Auto Bild says France’s “social leasing” model — electric cars for under €100 a month — is the benchmark.

Tax Breaks Until 2035: Danke, Treasury!

Alongside the new incentives, Berlin’s also stretching the tax-free holiday for new EVs until 2035. Register your shiny new e-machine by the end of 2030, and you’ll be laughing all the way to the charging station — about €750 richer over a decade, according to government math.

That might not sound like a windfall, but remember, this is Germany — where people still debate whether 130 km/h is too fast.

Public Opinion: Mostly “Ja, bitte!”

A survey by Carwow reveals 70 percent of Germans want the EV bonus back, and two-thirds claim it would make them consider going electric.

But, as ever in the Vaterland, the experts can’t agree on anything except beer purity laws.

The Industry: Supportive… ish

Hildegard Müller, the boss of the VDA (that’s the German Association of the Automotive Industry, for those not fluent in bureaucratese), cautiously welcomes the idea.

She likes the principle — who doesn’t like free money? — but warns against the government’s bad habit of talking too long and acting too late.

“Long-term discussions must be avoided at all costs,” she insists. “Short-term flashes do not help consumers, industry or climate protection.”

Translation: Less PowerPoint, more plug points.

Müller also reminds everyone that Germany’s charging infrastructure still lags behind, which, considering how much Autobahn they’ve got, is a bit like having a Michelin-starred kitchen with no oven.

The Professors Weigh In

Professor Ferdinand Dudenhöffer of the Center for Automotive Research thinks the entire thing is pointless.

“The prices of electric cars are already dropping,” he says. “Soon we’ll be below €20,000. The market and the electric car have established themselves.”

In Dudenhöffer-land, subsidies are yesterday’s news. He’d rather Berlin focus on the highway robbery known as fast-charging prices, which he claims are eroding public confidence in EVs faster than a Tesla’s panel gaps erode your faith in build quality.

Then there’s Professor Stefan Bratzel from the Center for Automotive Management, who thinks the bonus could make sense — but only if it includes used EVs.

He’s joined by Thomas Peckruhn from the Central Association of the German Automotive Industry (ZDK), who calls a new-car premium “unsustainable” and proposes a voucher system or electricity credit for used cars instead.

In other words, give the people volts, not vaults.

Focus on the Everyday Driver

Professor Helena Wisbert from the University of Ostfalia makes perhaps the most human point of all: private buyers — especially those without a home charger — need real economic alternatives.

Her fix? Cheaper public charging and leasing support for smaller, affordable EVs. Because let’s face it — not everyone wants or needs a 2.5-tonne electric SUV that looks like it could tow the Brandenburg Gate.

And finally, Professor Andreas Herrmann from St. Gallen reminds Berlin not to repeat past mistakes: “Cancelling incentives overnight shattered confidence in the market,” he says. “That must not happen again.”

So, will Germany’s latest €3 billion EV revival act spark the revolution its planners hope for?

That depends. On whether politicians can move faster than software updates. On whether charging gets cheaper before patience runs out. And on whether the people who actually need the help get it — not just those who fancy a cheaper route into an Audi Q4 e-tron.

Because for all its economic muscle, Germany’s electric future won’t be built on subsidies alone. It’ll be built on confidence — and maybe, just maybe, on the next generation finally realizing that torque is the new horsepower.

Source: Auto Bild