No real alternative?
Germany thwarts the ban on new passenger cars with conventional combustion engines from 2035. The country wants an exception for synthetic fuels. In practice, however, according to some, this can lead to undesirable situations.
German FDP Minister Volker Wissing (Traffic) said earlier this week that Germany does not want to support the ban on the fuel engine, unless there is an exception for cars that run entirely on synthetic fuel. The powerful German car industry hopes that this exception will keep the fuel engine alive. It led to surprise in Brussels, where the proposal was on a list to finally be hammered down next week, without debate. Now representatives of the member states still have to discuss on Friday how to convince Germany. Without that country, there is insufficient support for the law, because Italy and Poland are already obstructive.
The proposal to make an exception for synthetic fuels has drawn criticism from, among others, Jan Huitema, the VVD MEP who guided the law through the European Parliament on behalf of the Environment Committee. Huitema sees nothing in the proposal. In a speech in parliament, he already pointed out that ‘an enormous amount of green energy is needed’ to produce synthetic fuels in a sustainable manner. It costs a lot more electricity than electric cars to travel the same distance, he explained. “If you want to use synthetic fuels, you need five times as many windmills, solar panels and therefore raw materials. I think this is the wrong way.”
Environmental group Transport & Environment is also critical of Wissing’s proposal. “It is simply impossible to keep track of what kind of fuel motorists put in their vehicles over their entire lifespan,” says Alex Keynes on behalf of that organisation. A car that in theory has to run on synthetic fuels will also run on petrol. “If the price of these advanced fuels turns out to be prohibitively expensive – as expected – then these cars will still run on fossil fuels,” says Keynes. Possibly an insert with the law can offer a solution, says a person involved. “At this stage, it would be very difficult to start negotiating all over again.” A leaflet to the law would allow the FDP to claim a partial victory at home. It is still unclear what exactly should be included.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl