The energy ministers of European Union countries on Tuesday granted their final approval for a groundbreaking law that would put an end to the sale of new cars emitting CO2 by 2035.
Reuters reported that Germany managed to secure an exemption for vehicles powered by e-fuels.
E-fuels can be considered as a form of carbon-neutral fuel made using renewable energy sources and doesn’t produce as much pollution as traditional fuels when burned.
After experiencing delays caused by Germany’s opposition at the last minute, the EU countries’ approval of the new law marks a significant step towards the implementation of Europe’s primary climate policy for vehicles.
The new law will mandate that all new cars sold have zero CO2 emissions by 2035 and emit 55% less CO2 by 2030 compared to the levels recorded in 2021. The objectives aim to expedite the process of decarbonization of new car fleets across Europe.
It was reported that the European Commission has made a commitment to establish a legal pathway that would enable the sale of new cars running solely on e-fuels to persist even after 2035. This move was in response to Germany’s insistence on obtaining an exemption from the new EU policy.
The EU policy was anticipated to prohibit the sale of cars equipped with combustion engines within the EU by 2035.
However, Germany’s successful bid for exemption presents a potential source of hope for conventional vehicles, although e-fuels have yet to be generated on a large scale.
The transport minister of Germany, Volker Wissing said the agreement would “open up important options for the population towards climate-neutral and affordable mobility.”
Adding to this, the EU climate policy chief, Frans Timmermans stated, “The direction of travel is clear: in 2035, new cars and vans must have zero emissions.”
