EU governments agree to deplete combustion engines after 2035

The European Commission’s proposal to ban new passenger cars with combustion engines from 2035 has been approved by the governments of the Member States. The storm in a teacup that ignited the FDP is culminating in vague approvals. In a long marathon of negotiations, EU Member State governments, represented by their respective ministries, have agreed on the European Commission’s major “Fit for 55” package agreed In this country, the almost symbolic end of the new registration of combustion engines from 2035 caused a stir.

It will probably be difficult to find suitable new cars from car dealers on this date anyway, as almost all major manufacturers want to switch completely to electromobility by 2035, most even a few years earlier. According to the adopted memorandum, there will be no new registrations of vehicles emitting CO2 from 2035. This would clearly rule out any kind of carbon-based fuel. Here, some forces had tried to leave a back door open by bringing into play the supposed CO2 neutrality of so-called e-fuels – theoretically, combustion emits only as much CO2 as was previously extracted from the air during the production of these synthetic fuels.

Promise Not Quite Clear

However, this would mean that by 2035 there would be greater amounts of synthetic fuels that are also produced entirely with green energy to power cars. Such a scenario is not even considered realistic in the automotive industry. Because the e-fuels, which could actually be produced in the coming years with excess eco-power, would primarily be needed in places where battery-electric drives simply cannot make progress – such as in heavy transport, commercial shipping, and air traffic.

The car industry assumes that by 2035 it will be more realistic to get conventional fuel with a small e-fuel blend at the filling station. To appease the political forces, which, despite the emerging reality, are repeatedly demanding openness to technology in order to somehow save the combustion engine, Member States agreed on a compromise: the European Commission made a vague promise to examine to what extent the regulation would do. The exception is for combustion engines, which have been proven to work 100% with e-fuels.