The EU will ban thermal engines fueled by fossil fuels in 2035. The text thus prohibits gasoline, diesel and hybrid vehicles, in favor of 100% electric. But the way of synthetic fuels will finally be well opened.
The European Union had planned in 2022 to ban heat engines in 2035. But at the beginning of March, Germany had created a surprise by blocking the text at the Council of the European Union, expressing its wish to develop synthetic fuels. The text had however been the subject of an agreement in October between Member States, including Germany, and negotiators from the European Parliament, and had been formally approved in mid-February by MEPs.
Because of this abstention on the text on this last stage, the vote had been postponed sine die. Without Germany, the qualified majority of the 27 which is required (favourable vote of at least 55% of the States representing at least 65% of the population of the EU) was no longer achieved.
The European Commission and Germany finally announced on Saturday March 25 that they had reached an agreement to unblock the text. The latter remains unchanged. But Brussels has committed to a derogation for vehicles using synthetic fuel (or e-fuels), as requested by Germany, in a separate proposal. This must be validated by autumn 2024.
Synthetic fuels following 2035
Vehicles equipped with a combustion engine can be registered following 2035 if they only use neutral fuels in terms of CO2 emissions2, welcomed the German Minister of Transport, Volker Wissing. These synthetic fuels can be produced by a mixture of CO2 and hydrogen. The first might be recovered from the atmosphere or captured at the outlet of factories, the second produced by electrolysis of water using renewable energies.
For the automotive industry, this decision will extend the use of internal combustion engines. But the use of this technology in the automobile is disputed, because it requires a lot of electricity. It is also expensive, has little chance of establishing itself on the private vehicle market and would only concern a minority of luxury vehicles in the best of cases, believe many experts.
Porsche and Ferrari, in particular, supported Germany’s position. The first inaugurated its first production plant in Chile in December 2022. The second is still betting on heat engines. “The good news for us is that we will be able to continue to sell internal combustion engines in addition to our electric motors”Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna told Archyde.com.
Fuels for the wealthy that delay climate action
In a report, the NGO Transport & Environment estimates that synthetic gasoline might cost more than 2.82 euros per liter at the pump in France in 2030, almost 50% more than regular gasoline today. “The higher cost of e-fuels will mean that only the wealthy can afford them, while everyone else will be pressured to bend the rules and use fossil fuel instead. Motorists and the climate will be the losers”believes Marie Chéron, vehicle policy manager at T&E France.
Julia Poliscanova, senior director of vehicles and mobility at Transport & Environment, even considers this agreement dangerous. “Synthetic fuels are a costly and massively inefficient diversion from the electric transformation facing European automakers. In the interest of Europe’s climate credibility, the 2035 zero-emission car deal must enter into force without further delay. »
Due to the limited resources in e-fuels, authorizing the sale of combustion engines following 2035 might deprive existing cars of this solution necessary for their decarbonization. “If synthetic gasoline is used in new cars, vehicles already on the road will consume an additional 135 billion liters of fossil gasoline and emit 320 MtCO2e more by 2050 than if synthetic gasoline were available for the existing car fleet”Transport & Environment project.
