Hyperdrive
German Tesla Drivers Told to Return $4,650 Electric Subsidy
- Government orders repayment deeming Model S too expensive
- About 800 drivers affected after Tesla, agency fail to agree
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Hundreds of German Tesla Inc. Model S drivers have been ordered to pay back a 4,000 euro ($4,650) electric-vehicle subsidy after a government agency deemed their luxury cars too expensive to qualify for the program.
Some 800 drivers who bought their cars before March 6 and have received the so-called “environmental bonus” will have to return it, Germany’s Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control said Tuesday in a statement. The program was designed to boost sales of plug-in and battery vehicles. Another 250 Tesla owners that bought the Model S won’t receive payment, the office said.