The European Parliament's environment committee today debated amending the EU's CO2 standards for passenger cars and vans to allow new vehicles powered exclusively by alternative fuels to be reclassified as zero-emission vehicles.
The new vehicle category, proposed by Italian lawmaker Massimiliano Salini, received support from conservative and right-wing members. It would address a "flaw" in the current regulation, Salini said. EU law currently only allows for the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) as zero-emission from 2030 due to tailpipe approach to emissions.
The alternative-fuel category would not normally achieve zero tailpipe emissions, Salini told the committee. "But they do ensure a carbon-neutral balance overall", he said.
Centre-right EPP group member Salini's draft report aims also to raise the share of biofuels and e-fuels that carmakers can count towards fleet-wide CO2 reduction targets, increasing the limit from 3pc to 10pc. The text maintains low-carbon steel credits at up to 7pc.
The environment committee is aiming to vote on its position on 4-5 November. Committee agreement typically requires support from the EPP group, the largest political group in parliament.
"The EPP's intention is to find the majority in the centre," said German lawmaker Peter Liese, while noting that the "ban" on new car sales with internal combustion engines (ICE) from 2035 must be "abolished".
"That must be the starting point of all negotiations," Liese said.
Liese also called for e-fuels and biofuels to play a greater role. "It's true they are not 100pc climate neutral. But their contribution must be accepted as far as they are climate neutral," he said.
"We need more technological neutrality," said Czech ECR conservative Alexandr Vondra, adding that targets for carmakers should be more "realistic". Vondra welcomed suggested amendments to cut the 2035 fleet-wide emissions-reduction targets for new light commercial vehicles from 100pc to 80pc.
German Greens lawmaker Michael Bloss said high fuel prices are driving faster EV uptake, while ICE sales are falling. Bloss argued Salini's suggested flexibilities would lead to less investment. Bloss urged the committee to form compromises on the details around centre political groups. However, he said Salini's report seeks a right-wing majority.
Passenger cars and vans are responsible for around 16pc and 3pc of the EU's total CO2 emissions, according to the European Commission. The EU has a net zero target for 2050, with interim targets of 55pc greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions for 2030 and a net GHG cut of 90pc for 2040, both from a 1990 baseline.
