The tug of war between Germany and the European Commission (EC) continues, on account of the progressive withdrawal of vehicles that emit CO2 (diesel and gasoline) scheduled for 2035. The German opposition has temporarily paralyzed the new European Union law (EU) to end the sale of new cars of this type of fossil combustion engine as of this year, which leaves part of the bloc’s strategy to achieve net zero emissions in 2050 on hold.
Negotiations continue to reach an agreement. According to Spiegel, German Transport Minister Volker Wissing is backing down on his demand to renegotiate vehicle volume limits to allow the registration of those powered by internal combustion engines after 2035. But now he is demanding that it be guaranteed. the registration of vehicles powered exclusively by synthetic fuels, also called e-fuels or e-fuels, after 2035.
This position could make drivers’ pockets more expensive, because synthetic fuels in new cars could mean that an average driver pays 210 euros to fill the tank of his vehicle, according to the analysis carried out by the European Federation Transport
according to T.
“The higher cost of e-fuels will mean that only the wealthy will be able to afford them, while everyone else could be forced to skirt the rules and use fossil fuel instead. Motorists and the climate will be the losers,” warns T’s clean vehicle manager
It is not just an economic issue, they say from this organization. It would also be harmful to the health of Europeans, because e-fuels would also increase the CO2 emissions and oil consumption of the existing car fleet, as well as a setback for the EC, which wants to reach net zero emissions by 2050. .
“Allowing combustion engines to be sold after 2035 would displace sales of up to 46 million zero-emission electric cars by 2050 and would also deprive existing vehicles of the synthetic fuel they need to decarbonise,” they detail in their analysis.
And they give some figures: “If e-petrol is used in new cars, the vehicles already on the road would burn an additional 135 billion liters of fossil gasoline and emit an additional 320 MtCO2e by 2050 than if e-petrol were available for the existing fleet.
These specialists explain how polluting this type of fuel can be. Although they may be carbon neutral, “they still emit air pollutants, particularly toxic NO2 and carcinogenic particles, when burned in combustion engines.” And they can emit up to an additional 160,000 tonnes of NOx pollution in the EU by 2050, more toxic emissions than Italy’s car fleet in a whole year.
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