EU Delays 2035 ICE Ban Vote Due to Pressure from Germany & Italy

The European Union (EU) parliament has delayed the vote to ban the sales of new ICE-powered vehicles in 2035 after both Germany and Italy posed concerns over it. Prior to this, the EU initially had reached a provisional agreement for the ban during the parliament meeting back in Oct 2022, with the official voting by members set to take place on March 7.

Both Germany and Italy’s concerns over the ban revolve around whether vehicles running on synthetic e-fuels will also be affected. Aside from that, the bigger concerns voiced by both countries are over the impact of this ban on the auto industry in general, as many marques are still trying to transition from being a conventional automaker to exclusively electric marques.

In spite of this, the proposed legislation already contains a non-binding section that prompts the EU to carve a fresh proposal especially on the new legislation pertaining to vehicles running on carbon-neutral fuels. Yet still, both Germany and Italy persisted that the EU must give a solid assurance that e-fuels will be protected from this ban.

However, carving out new legislation that protects the e-fuel from this ban does not directly address both countries’ concerns over the readiness of the automotive industry in adopting this ban. Instead, this will just allow automakers to continue their operations and business plans to sell ICE vehicles.

Porsche synthetic e-fuel plant located in Punta Arenas, Chile

Plus, the current definition of e-fuels is quite vague to interpret, which includes fossil fuels that are refined using renewable energy sources, not just fuels made from bio or synthetic sources. As a result, many people are still having doubts over the viability of e-fuels as a true carbon-neutral solution, with many of them insisting that they should be limited only for usage in bigger machines like aeroplanes and cargo ships. 

As of late, both EU and German officials are now looking for a middle ground to allow the usage of e-fuels after the ban is enforced later in 2035, with both the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are planning to hold a meeting to discuss this matter further.

This ICE ban is part of the EU’s bigger plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, where eliminating the sales of carbon-inducing vehicles will be the integral part of this bigger plan. With this ban, the EU is expected to reduce its carbon emissions by up to 55% by the end of this decade.