Germany supports combustion-car ban in Europe
Europe’s car-making powerhouse backs EU ban on combustion power by 2035 – except for e-fuel, race cars, tractors and fire trucksThe German government yesterday threw conditional support behind a European Union proposal to ban the sale of combustion-powered cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles by 2035.
After reportedly opposing the new proposed European bill, which would rule out the sale of any CO2-emitting petrol, diesel and hybrid car from 2035, Germany has asked the EU to add some very specific clauses to exempt “carbon-neutral” fuels, racing cars, tractors and, in an oddly specific case, fire trucks.
The car-making powerhouse is home to Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi, BMW, Opel and Mercedes-Benz.
“This addition is important to Germany in terms of our position. We believe it can also be a bridge for the overall discussion,” said German environment minister Steffi Lemke at a meeting of EU environment ministers yesterday.
Porsche, in particular, has been the spearhead for carbon-neutral fuels, with an entire race series planned around what it calls ‘e-fuel’ and a pilot plant in South America being readied to produce more than half a billion litres of the fuel by 2026.
The move by Germany, once presumed to be a strong dissenter to the combustion ban, could drive a nail in the coffin of mainstream combustion engines, with the preponderance of new-vehicle development moving to zero local emission technologies before 2035.
Other EU countries are divided by Germany’s insistence, with Italy (home to Fiat, Lancia, Maserati, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Lamborghini), Portugal, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland and Romania all requesting delays in phasing out combustion fuels.
For some, the requests are simply an indicator of the difference in disposable income for the economic powerhouses of France and Germany, while others have industry to protect.
Slovakia is home to the Volkswagen Group factory that builds the Volkswagen Touareg, the Audi Q7, the Bentley Bentayga and the Porsche Cayenne.
Romania is home to the Dacia budget brand, which relies on hand-me-down Renault combustion engines, though its Spark EV has been a sales success there.
Both Volkswagen and Stellantis have manufacturing operations in Portugal, and Bulgaria has an assembly plant owned by China’s GWM.
The five dissenting countries today insisted on a 90 per cent CO2 cut by 2035 instead, with five more years (2040) for a total phase out of combustion power.
Poland insisted 2035 was not a realistic timeframe for the poorer eastern countries. Automotive accounts for 11 per cent of the country’s industrial capacity and it has manufacturing operations from Fiat, Opel, Toyota, Volkswagen, MAN, Volvo and Scania, while Fiat also has a strong presence.
“2035 for Poland is not possible to accept, but I know that there are many countries which will raise this issue today,” said Poland’s climate minister Anna Moskwa.
The EU has set a goal of reducing 55 per cent of its carbon emissions from 1990 to 2030, with transport emissions becoming a strong plank in the proposals to get there.
A separate EU proposal could ban plug-in hybrid vehicle sales in Europe as soon as 2025.
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