Exception to EU post-2035 ICE ban agreed

Ahead of today’s vote on the EU’s ban on the sale of new ICE cars after 2035, the EU is reported to have bowed to pressure from Germany to allow an exception in the case of ICE cars using synthetic fuels.

“We have found an agreement with Germany on the future of e-fuels in cars,” says EU vp Frans Timmermans,”we will work now on getting the CO2 standards for cars regulation adopted as soon as possible.”

Without the concession it was feared that Germany would block the 2035 proposed ban.

“Vehicles with combustion engines can also be newly registered after 2035 if they only use CO2-neutral fuels,” says Volker Wissing, Germany’s transport minister, who points out “the internal combustion engine itself is not the problem, the fossil fuels it runs on are.”

Additional provisions will now need to be provided to ensure that e-fuel vehicles can be sold without any risk of traditional fuel use