Combustion ban on the brink? FDP minister wants to reverse gear

From 2035, cars with internal combustion engines will no longer be allowed in the EU. At least that’s the plan on which almost everyone agrees and whose decision is actually only a matter of form. But now Germany’s transport minister is giving up: If necessary, he wants to scrap the plan.

Combustion engine off 2035: Wissing wants to refuse approval

Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing throws the last few meters Combustion Off in the EU from 2035 new stones in the way. As a final formality, on March 7th, the countries will have to agree to the EU plan to ban new cars from this year that emit greenhouse gases during operation. Practically this is the end of the combustion engine.

But Volker Wissing wants to push through that new cars with combustion engines can still be registered from 2035 if they are operated with climate-neutral e-fuels. “Against the background of the enormous existing fleet of cars that we have in Germany alone, there can only be a compromise for the FDP on the fleet limit values, if the use of e-fuels becomes possible,” so Wissing to the Bild newspaper.

Otherwise Germany could “not agree” in the coming vote. The Liberals had previously urged the EU Commission to further examine the use of e-fuels. Wissing repeats this again: “There is a clear mandate for the EU Commission: to enable the use of climate-friendly e-fuels in cars, both for the existing fleet and for the future for internal combustion engines that will be newly registered after 2035.”

In 2023 there are already changes that will affect drivers:

FDP minister fights, but for what?

However, the question remains as to what Wissing is making the effort for: The FDP enjoys e-fuels no complete backing from the industry. VW boss Oliver Blume recently made it clear that e-fuels will only be a niche solution for VW in the future. It would not be possible to have a major impact on the greenhouse gas limits in the EU.

In addition to Germany, Italy has signaled that it will not agree to the end of combustion engines in 2035. With two dissenting votes, the other 25 transport ministers with voting rights could also seal the end of petrol and diesel engines.

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