SPULA public heavy-vehicle charging grants
Grants for businesses building or expanding publicly accessible heavy-vehicle charging sites in the Netherlands, with conditional battery support.
SPULA supports new or expanded public charging sites for heavy electric vehicles in categories M3, N2 and N3. M3 means buses and coaches with more than eight passenger seats besides the driver and a maximum mass over 5 tonnes; N2 means goods vehicles over 3.5 and up to 12 tonnes, and N3 goods vehicles over 12 tonnes (maximum mass). The grant uses fixed amounts, subject to a ceiling of 20% of eligible costs:
| Equipment | Grant amount |
|---|---|
| Charging station from 200 kW to below 350 kW | €19,000 per station |
| Charging station from 350 kW to below 550 kW | €43,000 per station |
| Charging station of at least 550 kW | €80,000 per station |
| Eligible stationary battery | €80 per kWh |
Support covers at most 3,600 kW of charging capacity and 1,400 kWh of battery capacity per location; installing more is allowed, but the excess is not subsidised. For modular systems, the claimed station allocation cannot exceed the power cabinets’ simultaneous output. The resulting grant must be at least €25,000.
Eligible costs include charging equipment, associated technical equipment, installation and electrical works, civil works, site or road alterations and permits, including an eligible battery. Local electricity generation, such as solar panels, and grid-connection costs are excluded. Earlier subsidies for the same costs are deducted, so SPULA cannot be combined with Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) for those costs. SPRILA and SPULA may support separate private and public chargers on one site, but not the same station.
Eligibility
Apply as a business registered with KVK and established in the Netherlands, for a Dutch site. Public-bus concession holders, public-law autonomous administrative bodies with legal personality, provinces, municipalities, water boards and public bodies under the joint-arrangements legislation are excluded. Undertakings in difficulty and unlawful state-aid combinations are also excluded. Apply before starting work or entering commitments; quotations must remain unsigned until submission.
“Undertaking in difficulty” is a formal EU financial test. Grounds include accumulated losses that have consumed more than half the relevant capital, insolvency proceedings or meeting the criteria for them, and an unpaid rescue-aid loan, an unterminated rescue-aid guarantee or a restructuring-aid plan still in force. SMEs under three years old at the planned grant award are exempt from the capital-loss tests, but still face the insolvency and rescue/restructuring checks; if part of a connected group, all its businesses must be under three years old for this age exception. Use RVO’s official decision tree for the tests applicable to your legal form, size and group.
The site must be open to everyone whenever charging is possible, with at least 40 opening hours per week between 09:00 and 21:00. It may be on private land and may charge an access fee, but cannot reserve hours or give charging priority to staff, customers or the operator’s vehicles. Other vehicle types may use the site as well.
Locate the site on an industrial estate or within one kilometre’s driving distance of an A- or N-road exit. The paved access road must be at least six metres wide throughout, excluding the verge. Provide at least 1,400 kW in stations rated at least 200 kW, including two stations of at least 350 kW. All points need CCS or MCS connectors, continuous internet connection using the OCPP 1.6 or higher communication protocol, foundations for at least 50 tonnes, clearance of at least 4.2 metres and space for a 16.5-metre tractor-trailer combination.
A grid connection of at least 100 kVA must exist or become available within two years of award. Supply the latest grid invoice for an existing connection, or grid-operator confirmation no more than three months old for the future connection. Cable pooling (sharing a grid connection) can qualify when connected to an existing connection of at least 100 kVA. A battery is eligible only where insufficient grid capacity is available or expected within two years of application.
How to apply
- Status
- closes 18 Dec 2026
- Opens
- Closes
- Round restrictions
- At most two applications per applicant/group per week and five supported sites per two-digit postcode area over the programme. Subject to available budget.
The 2026 window runs from 3 February at 09:00 to 18 December at 12:00, Netherlands time, with a €14.5 million budget. An applicant or group may submit at most two applications per week; only the first two are considered. At most five charging locations per two-digit postcode area can receive support over the programme’s entire life.
Apply through RVO with eHerkenning level 3 and RVO authorisation. Include unsigned equipment and installation quotations, cost specifications, grid evidence, landowner permission, location and access-road evidence, technical specifications and a plan showing operation within two years of award. Declare other public/EU subsidies and consent to anonymous publication of the location and equipment details. Foundation documentation is waived for sites on an industrial estate or existing heavy-vehicle fuel/charging stations; this does not remove the technical suitability requirement.
Applications are processed by receipt date. Same-day applications may enter a lottery if either the postcode ceiling or budget is exceeded. RVO consults you if at least 70% of the requested award remains available. The decision period is at most 13 weeks; an award carries an 80% advance.
Make all chargers usable within two years of award and request final settlement within 13 weeks of completing the work. A single postponement of up to 12 months can be requested if installation needs longer. Provide the electricity EAN code and an energy contract or guarantees of origin proving exclusively renewable electricity supply.
For 36 consecutive months after final settlement, keep the chargers publicly accessible and in the public register. Keep any supported battery in your ownership without transfer and send at least 70% of its discharged kWh to charging stations. Use renewable electricity and fair, transparent, comparable and non-discriminatory charging tariffs.