28.06.2024

The auto industry: Don't touch the ban on internal combustion engines

Carmakers, energy companies and environmental NGOs have issued an urgent warning against lifting the EU's de facto 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

"The target for zero-emission cars by 2035 is the most direct industrial strategy for EVs in Europe, bringing vital investment for European companies," said the joint statement of the Electromobility Platform, which includes members such as Renault Group, Uber, Volvo , Ford and Tesla.

Under EU law, new cars sold after 2035 are not allowed to emit CO2 emissions, effectively banning the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines, such as diesel or petrol cars.

The coalition said it was very concerned by recent statements calling on the incoming European Commission to scrap already agreed CO2 standards for cars and vans.

The concerns stem from the attitudes of lawmakers from the center-right EPP, who have announced their ambition to overturn the ban.

With the EPP coming out on top in the polls and its leading candidate Ursula von der Leyen expected to win a second term as president of the European Commission, a revision of the 2035 target looks increasingly likely.

The draft strategic agenda for the next European Commission on June 25, to be adopted by EU leaders, does not include the goal of lifting the ban on internal combustion engines, reports Euractiv.

Instead, the Commission is committed to "providing a stable and predictable framework and creating a more enabling environment for increasing Europe's production capacity for zero-emission technologies and products".

The EPP will debate the ban next week

The EPP's former chief negotiator on car CO2 standards, Jens Giesecke, has already announced that the newly formed EPP group in the European Parliament will decide how to deliver on its promise during its meeting in Portugal next week (July 2-5).

"The lifting of the ban on internal combustion engines was one of our main demands in the election campaign," he said, adding that there were multiple options on the table to change the law, including by taking alternative fuels into account or reducing the average reduction target emissions for car manufacturers up to 90%, instead of the current 100%.

However, the platform for electromobility warns that attracting investment to create zero-emission mobility is not possible without a consistent and clear regulatory framework.

"To backtrack now would significantly penalize all industry players, including many of our members who have already invested in this transition – cars, batteries, infrastructure, etc.," the Platform said.

However, not all European car manufacturers share this opinion. BMW chief executive Oliver Zipes called the ban "naive", adding that "correction is inevitable".