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Kia electric vehicles
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In the latest episode of the e-fuels saga in Europe, a new proposal has emerged, according to a draft document seen by Reuters: developing software that would recognise what kind of fuel a combustion engine car is running on and only allowing it to drive if it’s an e-fuel, rather than gasoline or diesel.
The proposal offers a route for carmakers to keep selling combustion engine vehicles after 2035, when a planned EU law is set to ban the sale of new CO2-emitting cars.
Germany and a few other countries are fighting for new combustion engine cars to still be produced from then on if driven on e-fuels (see here for our explainer on what those are). Sources told Reuters that even this proposal didn’t have their full support because it would still require automakers to develop new engines.
Meanwhile, the ongoing legal fallout from the Dieselgate scandal – like this week’s EU ruling that Mercedes owes drivers compensation for illegal defeat devices installed in their vehicles – are a somber reminder that installing software devices to regulate a car’s carbon footprint does not always end well.
The parties involved hope for a deal by Thursday’s EU summit.
Also, the EU’s proposed Euro 7 vehicle emission rules came under fire from an industry lobby group, which said the regulations would raise new car prices without bringing any of their intended environmental benefits. |
