- Under pressure from Germany and other member states, Europe has said it is ready to review its text on the ban on thermal vehicles from 2035
- The European Commission commits to study the issue of synthetic fuels
- France supports the initial project 100%
Is the European Union backing down on its climate ambition? This is what environmentalists fear, while the bill which provides for the end of sales of new cars with thermal engines from 2035 is questioned by Germany and several other countries.
This text, adopted last October by the European Parliament, is part of the Green Deal for Europe, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieve neutrality carbon by 2050. It requires car manufacturers to offer non-polluting alternatives to the combustion engine, such as electric or hydrogen.
But Germany, the leading producer and exporter of cars in Europe, did an about-face on March 7, 2023, by blocking the final validation of the text by the Member States. Berlin is calling for the European Commission to present a proposal recognizing synthetic fuels as a viable option to reduce vehicle emissions.
What are synthetic fuels?
Synthetic fuels, also called e-fuels or e-fuels, are made from renewable electricity and CO2 captured from the air. According to their promoters, in particular high-end German manufacturers such as Porsche or Audi, they make it possible to make existing thermal engines carbon neutral, without the need to change infrastructure or modify consumer behavior.
But this technology is still far from being mature and competitive. It requires much more electricity than electric vehicles to travel the same distance. It also asks questions about its overall environmental impact, particularly on water consumption and biodiversity.
France, alone against all?
Germany is not alone in defending this position. It is joined by Italy, country of Fiat and Ferrari, but also by several countries of Central and Eastern Europe, such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland or Romania. These countries welcome on their territory many subcontractors for German brands and fear for their industrial future.
Faced with this front of refusal, France finds itself isolated. Paris strongly supports the bill on the end of thermal cars in 2035, which it considers as a lever to accelerate the ecological transition and promote the development of French electric and hydrogen sectors. France has already adopted a similar law at the national level in 2019.
The European Commission has therefore tried to unblock the situation by committing to study the potential of synthetic fuels in its sustainable fuels strategy scheduled for June 2023.
However, there is no question of completely revising the text. It will study synthetic fuels in the same way as it will ensure that the conditions necessary to support the transition to all-electricity are put in place, particularly in terms of charging infrastructure and support for the industrial sectors concerned.
This concession did not convince Germany and its allies, who continue to press for a relaxation of the text on the end of thermal cars. The arm wrestling therefore continues between the Member States, while time is running out to meet European climate commitments.
According to a recent study by the think tank Transport & Environment (T&E)if all vehicles sold after 2035 achieve zero emissions (electric or hydrogen), this would avoid the emission of more than a billion tonnes of CO2 between 2030 and 2050.
