The Story of EU 2035 ICE Ban, Electrification, and Synthetic e-fuels
Many countries are now heading towards green mobility and focusing on environmental sustainability. The European Union is also preparing to ban all combustion engine vehicles by 2035. That is, all the petrol and diesel cars are to be replaced by electric vehicles.
While many automobile companies already produce electric cars, some luxury brands are unwilling to comply with these norms.
Porsche CEO Oliver Blume, among a few other German carmakers, is proposing to continue the usage of e-fuels after 2035. He also said that there is no conflict between electrification and synthetic fuels and that cheaper e-fuels are also viable options. Ferrari is also looking into alternative fuels to keep producing its combustion engine cars and continue the heritage of luxury cars.
Source: IEA, Electric car registrations and sales share in China, United States, Europe, and other regions, 2016-2020. License: CC BY 4.0
E-fuels are synthetic fuels that require water to separate hydrogen and oxygen and combine it with carbon dioxide to create many derivatives of fossil fuels like petrol and diesel.
The manufacturing process of e-fuels requires hydrogen and CO2. The carbon dioxide is captured from the air, biomass, or industrial emissions. The e-fuels thus created are either in liquid or gaseous form. Post that, many derivatives such as e-petrol, e-kerosene, and e-diesel are produced as per the requirement. And in the process, they emit almost the same amount of CO2, which is why it is considered a promising way for carbon neutrality.
The ban will prove to be a major shift in Europe’s automotive industry, affecting many jobs that directly or indirectly rely on it. There is also another concern that if the new fossil fuel vehicles are banned, people will start using old cars because they won’t be able to afford EVs.
Source: CleanTechnica
The final vote scheduled for March 7, was postponed indefinitely due to the last-minute revoke of the German transport minister Wolker Wissing, a member of the FDP. The German party is proposing to exempt the continual use of synthetic e-fuels from the 2035 ICE ban. In a tweet, Wissing said that the combustion engines are not the problem but the fossil fuel it runs on. At least 55% is required for the vote to be effective and thus, the vote from Germany is crucial. And now, not only Germany, but other countries like Poland, Hungary, and Italy are also opposing the 2035 ICE ban. If all these countries remain in opposition, then the law is likely to not take effect.
Despite the debate, it is clear that e-fuels are definitely not a better option or an equal alternative to fossil fuels than EVs. And while EVs are an option to reduce the emissions for most vehicles, they still cannot help reduce the emissions from the aviation industry. Thus e-fuels can be an alternative to the aviation sector in the meantime.
While other car manufacturers are also taking steps to lower their carbon emissions by making changes in their combustion engines, 100% electrification still seems to be a long haul.
—Shivani Mishra