EU Drafts Plan To Allow Sales Of New ICE Cars On E-Fuel Beyond 2035

The proposed plan would keep gasoline-powered vehicles on the road with help from alternative fuels.

By: Iulian Dnistran

Mar 22, 2023 at 10:09am ET

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The European Commission has drafted a proposal that would allow the sales of new cars with internal combustion engines after 2035 in the European Union but only if they run on e-fuels.

The news comes via Reuters, which writes that the draft suggests creating a new type of vehicle category in the EU for cars that can run only on carbon-neutral fuel. These vehicles will have to be fitted with technology that prevents them from driving if other fuels are used, according to the draft, which means that carmakers theoretically won’t be able to just keep selling the cars they make now, which rely on gasoline or diesel to run.

Previously, the EU Parliament voted to ban sales of carbon-emitting vehicles in the Union from 2035, with intermediate emissions reduction targets of 55 percent for cars and 50 percent for vans set for 2030, but the law hasn’t been enforced yet because Germany voiced last-minute objections to the plan.

The country’s Transport Minister, Volker Wissing, said that “we need e-fuels as there is no alternative if we want to operate our vehicle fleet in a climate-neutral way,” days before a final vote that would have seen the law put in place.

As Reuters reports, a decision on the draft that would allow the sales of ICE vehicles past 2035 is expected to be reached tomorrow, with the issue being closely watched by Germany’s powerful car industry.

Coincidence or not, yesterday we reported on the Volkswagen Group’s CEO statements, who said that electric cars and internal combustion engine vehicles running on e-fuels need to coexist without competing with each other.

Moreover, it’s no surprise that Porsche, which is part of the VW Group, has been developing e-fuel in Chile for a couple of years, intending to mix it with regular gasoline.

What do you think?

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E-fuels are made by synthesizing captured carbon dioxide emissions and hydrogen produced using renewable energy, effectively making it carbon neutral. However, current worldwide production of e-fuels is far from enough for the world’s gasoline-burning cars, with some estimates saying it would cover just 10 percent of Germany’s demand in aviation, shipping, and chemicals in the next few years.

As always, we’d like to know what you think about this, so head over to the comments section below and write away.