Germany doesn't want every car to be electric yet, and it's forcing Europe to agree in writing.
The European Union is drafting a new plan to allow internal combustion engines to be sold after 2035 as long as they run on synthetic fuels, according to a draft document seen by Reuters.
This comes after Germany, Italy, and several other member states of the EU refused to pass the supposed combustion-banning legislation – which actually bans CO2 emissions, not combustion – until such time that clear allowances are made for e-fuels. Central to their argument was that cars, in particular those with combustion engines, are core industries of these countries and have significant heritage. German transport minister Volker Wissing had proposed that the legislation add a caveat for combustion-engine cars that could run on carbon-neutral fuels, allowing them to live on past 2035.
“A ban on the combustion engine, when it can run in a climate-neutral way, seems a wrong approach for us,” he said.
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The EU has now responded with draft documentation, indeed creating a new vehicle category catering to e-fuel-powered vehicles. However, the discussion is far from a done deal, as the draft suggests that such a vehicle category could only apply to cars able to detect whether the fuel is synthetic , with technology that would prevent them from being driven if the fuel was not of the synthetic sort.
Reuters alleges that sources close to the matter highlight this as a problem for Germany, as it would require automakers to develop new engines with this technology.
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Synthetic fuels are chemically identical to regular fossil fuels, created by synthesizing hydrocarbons from green hydrogen and carbon dioxide harvested from the atmosphere. Because it is identical to regular gasoline, existing vehicles require no modifications to run on the fuel; that's a big part of the allure of using e-fuels.
Porsche has been pioneering eFuels with a pilot plant in southern Chile, and while it will take time to scale the production of these fuels, Porsche will use its limited production volumes to power the Mobil 1 Supercup racing series and Porshe 911 and 718 Cayman vehicles at Porsche Centers globally.
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Talks are currently ongoing between the European Commission and Germany's Transport Ministry, with several involved parties hoping a resolution will be reached this week. Germany is adamant it wants an adaptation of the proposed legislation, not an entirely new framework, while the European Commission simply wants the clarification from all involved parties to be binding – presumably to avoid any further delays, such as Germany's last-minute move earlier this month.
However, the talks may yet continue beyond this week, as Reuters reports that sources within the Commission are adamant that the combustion phase-out must be approved before any e-fuel-related proposal would be made. This could only happen if Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic drop their objections and agree to the latest proposals.
The EU Summit is scheduled for tomorrow, and the goal is to have an agreement by then.
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Keyword: Europe Preparing E-Fuel Loophole In 2035 CO2 Ban