Germany is pushing the European Commission to allow combustion engines using climate-neutral fuels under its ambitious green goals, giving a possible lifeline to a technology that faces being phased out in the next decade.
The country called on the EU’s executive branch to come forward with a proposal to allow for so-called e-fuels to be permitted to power combustion engines. The bloc has already signed off on rules effectively banning the combustion engine in new cars from 2035.
“We are completely convinced that the battery electric vehicle is now the way to go but we need more approaches,” Michael Theurer, Germany’s state secretary of digital and transport infrastructure said at a meeting of EU ministers in Stockholm on Monday. “We believe we need this technology to reach global climate goals.”
Theurer didn’t say whether Germany wants new combustion engine cars to hit the roads after the proposed cut-off date, but his comments will likely raise concern in the commission and among green activists that the country wants to prolong their life expectancy.
Germany successfully lobbied for a loophole in the rules on cars last year, which stated that the Commission will make a proposal for registering after 2035 vehicles running exclusively on CO2-neutral fuel after a consultation with stakeholders.
Volkswagen has already said that it would stop selling combustion engine cars in Europe between 2033 and 2035, raising the risk that Germany’s intervention could muddy the regulatory landscape.
The German government also wants to fund the research into e- and bio fuels with about €1.9bn (R37.1bn) until 2026, according to the environment ministry.
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