Seven EU countries have called for the 2035 combustion engine ban to be repealed or softened.
An auto package, likely containing changes to this legislation, has been pushed back to December 16.
Some of the requested changes include carving out an exclusion for plug-in hybrids, range extenders, and e-fuels.
The European Union signed into law a ban on combustion engines back in 2023 that would prohibit the sales of new vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel starting in 2035.
A number of other countries, states, and provinces have adopted a similar plan, most notably California and Quebec.
Faced with a significantly different situation than predicted only a few years ago, the goal of having all new vehicles sold in Europe powered exclusively by electricity seems less and less likely to a number of European countries.
Indeed, since the legislation was enacted, the global economy has taken a hit, the adoption rate of electric vehicles has been slower than expected, the American government has raised tariffs on many foreign-made vehicles, and Chinese automakers have made significant inroads in the European market with affordable EVs with which legacy automakers are struggling to compete.
For these reasons, Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic have been pressuring the European Union to either relax the rules of the ban or repeal it altogether.
To help the European automotive industry, the EU is expected to announce an auto package on December 16 that should address some of the member states’ concerns.
This was initially supposed to come out on December 10, but last-minute changes reportedly need to be made before the new legislation can be proposed.
The demands that are most likely to be implemented include a carveout for plug-in hybrid vehicles and EVs with a combustion-powered range extender.
These types of vehicles generate significantly less tailpipe emissions than conventional gasoline or diesel-powered models, but since they are not considered fully zero-emission vehicles, they would not be allowed on sale past 2035 under the current rules.
Another change to the legislation could allow vehicles running on sustainable e-fuels, which are under development in a few countries globally, including Germany.
For the most part, these fuels are created using renewable electricity and captured carbon, which means that their production and use doesn’t generate new polluting emissions.
Hydrogen and biofuels are also included on the list of technologies that could be allowed in new vehicles after 2035.
2023 BMW iX5 HydrogenAutomakers have warned that requiring all new vehicles to be electric only would stifle innovation and risk European manufacturers becoming un-competitive due to high labour and production costs, especially compared to China.
If they were allowed a more diverse array of technologies, automakers believe they would be better able to meet customer demands while still working toward a cleaner future.
Of course, softening its 2035 ban on combustion engines could make it more difficult for the EU to achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
The upcoming auto package has been delayed by six days, and some EU officials have suggested that it could even be pushed back to somewhere in 2026.
Doing so would create more uncertainty for automakers, many of whom want to see a clear regulatory guideline before they commit to spend millions, if not billions, into transforming their supply chains and production facilities to comply with market demands and governmental restrictions in the coming decade.
Source: Automotive News and Euro News
