Germany has reached an agreement with the European Commission, which provides that after 2035, new cars with an internal combustion engine can still be sold in the European Union, but on the condition that these cars run only on synthetic fuel, or “e-fuel”. Officials in both Berlin and Brussels report this.
The plan to ban internal combustion engines in new cars from 2035 previously moved smoothly through the corridors of the European Union institutions, but at the last minute Germany and several other countries opposed it and tried to obtain an exception, namely to allow internal combustion engines also after 2035, on the condition that that they use synthetic fuel.
One of the key people in this matter is the German Minister of Transport Volker Vissing, who supported such a solution. “The path is clear and Europe remains technologically neutral. Cars with an internal combustion engine will also be able to be registered for the first time after 2035 if they use CO2 neutral fuel. We preserve a variety of options for climate-neutral, affordable mobility,” Wissing writes on the social media site Twitter.
In the German parliament, certain factions opposed the banning of internal combustion engines in the European Union, as it would significantly harm the German automotive sector and cause job losses. However, there is no consensus in Germany itself and its car industry either – Porsche actively invests in the development and production of synthetic fuels. The Chairman of the Board of the Porsche brand and the entire Volkswagen Group, Oliver Blume, is an active promoter and supporter of this idea.
However, there is no coherent answer to this question in the VW concern – the heads of the VW and Audi brands confirmed a long time ago that they will abandon internal combustion engines in their cars before 2035. Thomas Schaefer, chairman of the board of the VW brand, said that synthetic fuels have applications in aviation, freight transport and other sectors that are more difficult to electrify, but light passenger cars should be electric.
Other German manufacturers have also announced plans to abandon internal combustion engines – Mercedes plans to do so by 2030. Of the major car manufacturers, only BMW has not set a strict deadline for when this will happen. The Bavarians are investing in various technologies – the development of internal combustion engines is underway, the cooperation with Toyota continues and the development of hydrogen fuel cells, which has materialized in the hydrogen-powered X5. For now, it is a very limited edition model intended for tests and demonstration of technical capabilities, not for sale. Also, BMW is working on an electric car and in 2025 we will see their new generation electric car Neue Klasse.
