Germany Might Have Just Saved Gas Engines From A European Ban

For years, lawmakers and carmakers across Europe have been at odds over the 2035 deadline to ban vehicles that produce emissions. What once looked like an immovable cutoff now seems to be softening, as pressure builds to keep combustion-powered cars on sale well into the next decade.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz has added his voice to the debate, sending a letter to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. In it, he urged the EU to allow car companies to continue selling new internal combustion engine (ICE) models after 2035.

Read: BMW Is Filling Up Its New Diesel Models With Vegetable Oil

According to the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, this letter was “very well received in Brussels,” noting that the EU must do what it can do “protect European companies, European industry, and European production.”

In an interview with Handelsblatt, Tzitzikostas revealed that the EU has delayed its December 10 deadline for confirming emissions regulations, revealing it has been delayed by several weeks because the commission is still finalizing details.

When it’s ready, the package will “contain everything, from revising carbon dioxide targets to company fleets and many other points.”

E-Fuels On The Horizon?

Tzitzikostas added that the commission is taking into account all technological developments, noting there could be a role to play for “zero- and low-emission fuels, [and] advanced biofuels.”

He stopped short of confirming that vehicles with combustion engines, but powered by these fuels, will continue to be available beyond 2035, but it appears increasingly likely that this will be the case.

Some of Europe’s major automakers are already preparing for that possibility. Porsche has invested in synthetic fuel production in Chile, while BMW powers many of its diesel models with fuel derived from vegetable oil.

When asked about the shift in tone, Tzitzikostas explained, “We want to stick to our goals, but we must take into account all recent geopolitical developments. We must be careful not to jeopardize our competitiveness while helping European industry maintain its technological lead.”

His comments reflect a wider recalibration across Europe, where environmental ambitions now have to coexist with industrial stability and global competition.

Source: Handelsblatt