EU member states today delayed formal approval, planned for 7 March, of legislation that would effectively prohibit internal combustion engines (ICE) in new vehicles.
The provisional agenda for the EU's council of ministers had included adoption of revisions to a 2019 EU regulation that would set a 100pc CO2 cut for new passenger vehicles and vans from 2035. The revised regulation also aims to cut average emissions for new cars by 55pc and for new vans by 50pc by 2030.
Parliament formally adopted the revised regulation on 14 February, the same day as the European Commission proposed a CO2 reduction target of 90pc for heavy-duty vehicles from 2040, essentially all but a ban on new ICE trucks.
Postponement of the member states' vote on CO2 car standards, which would formalise agreement reached in October 2022 between parliament and EU countries, is a "disgrace" for Germany, said the country's green lawmaker Michael Bloss.
"We're causing chaos, making ourselves completely unbelievable and holding up climate protection," he said. The German greens are in coalition with chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left socialists. Also in the coalition are liberals, who are now pushing for Germany not to vote for the ICE phaseout agreement in the EU's council of ministers.
Bloss said Germany, Italy, Poland and Bulgaria could now block adoption of the amended regulation by preventing the qualified majority necessary for adoption.
Parliament's largest centre-right EPP political group called on EU states to vote against the ICE ban, which it said will prevent innovation, make new cars more expensive and lead to the decline of a core European industry. Its lead negotiator on CO2 car standards, Jens Gieseke, said its proposal of a crediting scheme for e-fuels is "exactly what is missing."
"It is positive that the vote will not take place next week," he said.
The commission said today it is discussing "more recent" concerns with member states to ensure a "careful" implementation of a non-binding recital to the CO2 standards. The recital states the commission could, if appropriate, make a proposal for registering, after 2035, vehicles running on CO2-neutral fuels.
Speaking last month during the parliament's debate on adoption of the CO2 standards, commission executive vice-president Frans Timmermans said the future of the European car industry is "not in combustion engines" but in electrification. An industry representative noted that Timmermans, in charge of energy and climate action, did not appear "serious" about following up on the non-binding recital in legislation.
"Non-fossil fuels should play a role," the source said.
Non-governmental group Transport & Environment (T&E) senior director Julia Poliscanova while e-fuels and sustainable bioethanol can be used to decarbonise, "truly sustainable advanced fuels are only available in small quantities."
"These car CO2 standards are about new technology and clearly the winner here is electric," she said, adding that championing the internal combustion engine would benefit the US and China that are "threatening to overtake Europe with massive investments in electric cars and batteries".
EU states are looking for a "more realistic" approach to transport decarbonisation, said European renewable ethanol association ePure's director general David Carpintero.
"Even beyond 2035 renewable liquid fuels should have a role," he said. "European renewable ethanol today saves an average of 77pc GHG emissions, compared to fossil fuel."
