In recent months, car manufacturers and national governments have asked the European Commission to bring forward the discussion on the ban on heat enginesscheduled for 2035. Each time the answer was always the same: “no.” The latest closure in chronological order came today from Roxana Minzatu, Vice-President of the European Commission, responding to a question from the European People’s Party.
“The regulation requires the Commission to present a progress report by 2025. Based on this report, the Commission will proceed with the review in 2026. The 2035 target provides certainty for producers, suppliers and investors by providing adequate time margin for plan a just transition” explained Minzatu.
The previous stages
Lo stop selling of cars with internal combustion engines foresees that the parties will meet in 2026 to review the rules for 2035. Too late according to many manufacturers, associations (Acea in the lead) and some European Union governments, especially in light of the crisis that is affecting the sector. At the forefront is Italy which, through the mouth of Minister Adolfo Urso, has repeatedly been critical of the European Commission.
However, Minzatu’s response seems to go somewhat against Ursula von der Leyen’s opening announced a few days ago, in which the president of the European Commission announced a “Strategic Dialogue on the future of the automotive industry in Europe”. It will be necessary to understand which roads will be taken during the comparisons between the partieswhich is scheduled to begin in January 2025.
Space for e-fuels?
Returning to the Minzatu declarations, there was an openness towards e-fuels, whose role could help in reducing CO2 emissions. Their adoption would lead to survival of heat enginesalthough in this case the Commission has never definitively confirmed its intention to include synthetic fuels in the list of fuels permitted from 2035 onwards.
Source: it.motor1.com
