Söder aims to abolish the "engine ban" despite its allowance after 2034
Markus Söder, like the FDP and Ursula von der Leyen, wants to amend an EU decision.
Historic Porsche 911 fills up with e-fuel
(Image: Porsche)
CSU leader Markus Söder is calling on the EU Commission to revoke the so-called ban on combustion engines from 2035. The Bavarian Minister President told Bild am Sonntag that "the fundamental ban on combustion engines must go. We are committed to technological openness instead of ideology". This election promise of the EPP Group in the European Parliament must be kept, as e-fuels and hydrogen also enable climate-friendly mobility in addition to electric drives. "Private cars could also be fueled in this way in the future. It is good that the EU is finally moving on this," said Söder.
There was never a "ban on combustion engines"
When Söder talks about a "fundamental ban on combustion engines", he is referring to the resolution passed by the EU member states and the European Parliament in March 2023, according to which new cars will no longer be allowed to emit carbon dioxide from the combustion of fossil fuels. How the industry achieves this technically is up to them - the law is deliberately formulated to be open to all technologies. In fact, however, it is assumed that new cars with diesel and petrol engines will be banned from 2035. Although no ban on combustion engines had been announced, the federal government had pushed for exemptions for so-called e-fuels at the insistence of the FDP. In doing so, Söder is running into wide-open doors in the wake of the FDP.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) has also announced an initiative for exemptions for e-fuels at short notice. Specifically, her proposal states that "a technology-neutral approach is required, in which e-fuels will play a role by specifically amending the regulations as part of the planned review". Von der Leyen is referring here to the review of the original decision to phase out fossil fuels, as was planned for 2026 from the outset anyway. From this date, this review must also be carried out every two years.
Volkswagen boss dreams of the Porsche 911
It is not clear how von der Leyen intends to implement this point, which was only included in her political policy program at a late stage. She was asked about this after her re-election as EU Commission President. However, von der Leyen was unable to give press representatives a concrete answer to the question of whether private individuals will still be able to buy cars with combustion engines after 2035. This is primarily a decision for the car industry to make. If it finds that there is enough affordable e-fuel available on the market to justify the business model, it will continue to offer combustion engines. Oliver Blume, head of the major automotive group Volkswagen, told the same edition of Bild am Sonntag (July 21) that the future belongs to e-mobility, sensibly supplemented by e-fuels. He is referring primarily to existing vehicles, but also explicitly mentions the Porsche 911 series.
(fpi)