European Union (EU) member states agreed to work on prohibiting the sale of combustion engines in new cars and trucks by 2035, in a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to zero.
The ministers of the environment of the concerned 27 countries concluded their Wednesday meeting by agreeing on a common position through five draft laws to reduce emissions, after more than 16 hours of negotiations.
The agreement makes it likely that the proposal will become communal law in the EU, as the ministers prepare to draft the legal framework for the upcoming negotiations with the European Parliament.
The EU Parliament has already backed the 2035 target for cars, while Italy, Slovakia, and other states had wanted the phasing out to be postponed until 2040.
The plan is intended to help achieve the continent’s climate objectives, namely carbon neutrality by 2050.
At the request of countries such as Germany and Italy, the EU-27 also agreed to consider future legislation for the use of alternative technologies such as synthetic fuels or plug-in hybrids.
France’s Minister of Ecological Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher, who chaired the meeting this week, acknowledged that “this is a big challenge for the Union’s automotive industry.”
The Minister stressed that it was a “necessity” in the face of competition with China and the United States, who are betting heavily on electric vehicles as the future of the industry.
Vice President of the EU’s Commission for the Green Deal Frans Timmermans said that “the overwhelming majority of car manufacturers have chosen electric cars.”
The vice president affirmed the EU’s openness to other technologies like synthetic fuels, also referred to as e-fuels.
“We are technology-neutral. What we want are zero-emission cars,” he explained.
However, he further stressed that this alternative solution is currently not practical, saying: “At the moment, e-fuels do not seem a realistic solution, but if manufacturers can prove otherwise in the future, we will be open to this possibility.”
Environmental organizations object the use of this technology in cars, as it is considered both expensive and energy-consuming.
The synthetic-fuelled engines also emit as much nitrogen oxide (NOx) as their fossil fuel equivalents, experts say.
In response to manufacturers’ concern over insufficient demand for 100% electric cars, the EU Commission has recommended a major expansion of charging stations.
“Along the main roads in Europe, there must be charging points every 60 kilometers,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, last year.
Manufacturers regularly highlight the lack of such infrastructure, especially in southern and eastern European countries, in an attempt to justify their objection to the EU’s growing control of non-sustainable vehicles.
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