On Saturday, Bloomberg reported that the EU ban on the sale of new combustion-engine cars was postponed following calls from luxury carmakers Ferrari and Porche to give synthetic fuels an exemption from the rules.
The ban was to be adopted earlier this week, but at the last minute, Germany and Italy thwarted its approval despite the fact the regulation had already been approved by the European Parliament. Bloomberg reported this occurred due to pressures from the two automakers, which enjoy enormous reverence in their home countries.
German Transport Minister Volker Wissing said Europe “needs e-fuels because there is no alternative to operating our existing fleet in a climate-neutral manner.” Meanwhile Italy’s deputy prime minister said the delay in enacting the ban was, “a great signal.”
The EU ban was supposed to reduce carbon emissions by prohibiting the sales of combustion-engine cars which run on fossil fuels starting in 2035. Since the EU began discussing such a rule, most automakers have made the first steps to transition to becoming electric carmakers. However Porsche chose instead to invest in an e-fuel plant in Chile, where it has purchased a 12.5% stake. The company has stated it has no intention of producing an electric version of its iconic 911 model.
Ferrari has said while it intends to make electric cars, it will also invest in e-fuel so as to be able to continue to be able to produce its famous combustion-engine vehicles, to “preserve our heritage.”
E-fuel is a renewable combustible fuel made by combining carbon dioxide with renewable hydrogen, using electricity. Proponents claim that although it combusts like fossil fuel and emits carbon dioxide, it is actually carbon-neutral, since it was made from captured carbon dioxide which had been scrubbed out of the atmosphere.
Frans Timmermans, the EU climate commissioner has said he does not feel e-fuel is “a very realistic possibility” for making combustion engine technology “clean.’ However, he added, “if manufacturers think they can prove otherwise, it is up to them to do that.”
Critics oppose the use of e-fuel in vehicles because they feel it is too expensive to be practical, and what is produced should be used in aviation-transport, which is much harder to decarbonize.
