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Transportation EU

EU Countries Approve 2035 Phaseout of CO2-Emitting Cars (reuters.com) 113

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: European Union countries gave final approval on Tuesday to a landmark law to end sales of new CO2-emitting cars in 2035, after Germany won an exemption for cars running on e-fuels. The approval from EU countries' energy ministers means Europe's main climate policy for cars can now enter into force -- after weeks of delay caused by last-minute opposition from Germany. The EU law will require all new cars sold to have zero CO2 emissions from 2035, and 55% lower CO2 emissions from 2030, versus 2021 levels. The targets are designed to drive the rapid decarbonization of new car fleets in Europe.

"The direction of travel is clear: in 2035, new cars and vans must have zero emissions," EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans said. E-fuels are considered carbon neutral because they are made using captured CO2 emissions -- which proponents say balances out the CO2 released when the fuel is combusted in an engine. The Commission will, in autumn 2023, propose how sales of e-fuel-only cars can continue after 2035. Such cars will have to use technology to prevent them from starting when filled with petrol or diesel.

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EU Countries Approve 2035 Phaseout of CO2-Emitting Cars

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  • by FuzzMaster ( 596994 ) on Tuesday March 28, 2023 @07:30PM (#63407586)
    The market for e-fuel will go to the commercial sector and strong industrial economies will provide synthetic zero-carbon fuel to the weaker industrial economies at significant cost. I can't help but to imagine that this will end up costing the poorer economies more in the long run.
    • The market for e-fuel will go to the commercial sector and strong industrial economies will provide synthetic zero-carbon fuel to the weaker industrial economies at significant cost. I can't help but to imagine that this will end up costing the poorer economies more in the long run.

      As far as the EU goes that is possible. Outside of the EU however, the developing world will just continue to use traditional petroleum products unless switching is in their own economic interest.

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Wednesday March 29, 2023 @04:58AM (#63408196) Homepage Journal

      More likely most of those things that people think "need" e-fuel will go electric. For example, long distance haulage is being trialled with stuff like in-road charging and pantographs. EU rules on how long drivers can go without a break allow for stationary charging sessions anyway.

      There will be some exceptions, like I expect aircraft to keep using liquid fuels, but a lot of those weaker economies actually have pretty good renewable energy resources that they can develop. Take Spain and Portugal. Lots of wind, and they have solar collectors too. They will be the ones producing the e-fuel.

    • by jeti ( 105266 )
      Conventional fuel costs less than €1 per liter before taxes in Europe. E-fuel costs at least €10, more realistically €15 before taxes. Electric cars will be much cheaper to use in 2035. Given the cost, the potential market for e-fuels is so small that it can't sustain a network of gas stations.

      E-fuels are just a distraction to prevent conventional fuel from actually being phased out.
      • E-Fuel, more precisely bio-fuel, has no taxes.
        And most certainly does not cost $10 per liter, lol.

        • E-Fuel, more precisely bio-fuel, has no taxes.
          And most certainly does not cost $10 per liter, lol.

          Precisely no current bio-fuel on the market meets the definition or requirement of an e-fuel. You are not talking about what you think you're talking about. And yes estimates for e-fuels by oil majors themselves put them at being 5x the current retail cost of fuel. I was in your country about 4 hours ago and filled up my car for 1.75EUR/L. Times 5x = 8,75EUR/L which works out to being $9.5USD.

          Once again you laugh at something out of ignorance. You really should stop ending your post in "lol".

        • by jeti ( 105266 )
          VAT is 19%, even if you leave out the rest.
          • VAT is not a special fuel tax, like the tax on "ordinary fuel" or on CO2.

            It is simply VAT, you pay it on (mostly) everything.

            So, what was your point?

  • This means it should be entirely legal to drive a nuclear powered car, right?
  • The Commission will, in autumn 2023, propose how sales of e-fuel-only cars can continue after 2035. Such cars will have to use technology to prevent them from starting when filled with petrol or diesel.

    I'm sure no one will develop a way to rewire or hack such technology, to allow it to start on plain gasoline.

    • I'm sure no one will develop a way to rewire or hack such technology, to allow it to start on plain gasoline.
      Perhaps you wanted to say "non e-fuel".

      But when you used wire/hack plain gasoline for diesel: you kind of spoiled your point.

    • You say that as if the EU member states have no current restrictions to be overcome, and thus have to start from scratch on this arms race.

      The EU is way ahead of you on this already.

    • So?

      The thing about fuels is it matters what the majority do. If a small percentage go breaking the law it's pretty immaterial. And it means pollution from cars in city centres will be down to a small percent of what it is now.

      • by hipp5 ( 1635263 )
        And realistically, once the majority has switched to EVs it's going to be quite hard to get gasoline. It's not going to be economical to keep a gas station open when 98% of your customers have switched to EV.
    • I'm sure no one will develop a way to rewire or hack such technology, to allow it to start on plain gasoline.

      You can hack away all sorts of things. History does not favour well those who play with a fuel mix their engine isn't specifically designed for. Heck many cars didn't even tolerate a reduction in sulphur content or the addition of ethanol.

      Honestly hacking away at a >20k EUR piece of gear to make it run on something it wasn't designed for and voiding the warranty would be pretty fucking stupid.

  • look what happened to the demand for EV it tanked. tesla prices are down not because the economy of scale just decrease in demand. plus... the ev prices are +- same for the whole europe: for filthy rich Germans and for not so much well off Bulgarians or Poles. Can't see it working in Europe, honestly.
    • Dacia Spring and Renault Twizy are about 20,000 EUR. Shorter-range EVs are fine in places like Poland, which (fortunately) has an excellent and electrified passenger rail network. Just need to get some nuclear reactors online -- Poland is looking at SMR technology -- to power it all cleanly.
      • well, twizzy is like 10kEuro but it is a 1 person thing not offered in Poland. 22kEuro for Dacia.... frankly most Poles drive second hand cars from Western Europe, 22k is like twice-trice to steep. EV here are unreal anytime soon.
    • Yeah, and I'm sure the drop in demand for Teslas has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Elon Musk has become (or maybe he always was and has just recently shown his true colors) a massive douchnozzle and has been going far out of his way to alienate the people who used to be his best customers. /s

      I don't know about the official numbers. I do still see plenty of Teslas on the roads still. But they've been joined by quite a few Ioniq 5's, ID.4s, EV6s, and Rivian's. The Leaf is still a very common

  • by ZipNada ( 10152669 ) on Wednesday March 29, 2023 @09:25AM (#63408704)

    Germany has a huge industry centered around the building of ICE cars, and suddenly they were looking at an awful lot of useless stranded infrastructure. The e-fuel provision is intended to hand that industry a lifeline but it is fruitless. EV's will be MUCH less expensive to buy and operate than ICE in 2035, and they will not emit noxious tailpipe fumes. Add to that the extra expense of producing the e-fuels, which surely will cost more than ordinary gasoline/diesel, and those ICE cars will make no economic sense to buy.

  • The reality is that no car can be made without emitting CO2 somewhere along the way.

  • by Budenny ( 888916 ) on Wednesday March 29, 2023 @12:04PM (#63409202)

    Don't think you understand how the EU works. This is the first step in backing off their 2035 target. The way it works, they will never U-turn. They will make an exception which seems small. Then the closer they get to the date the more exceptions there will be, until finally the original program vanishes.

    At no point will anyone draw attention to the fact that the ban has magically vanished. Or even that it ever existed.

    The wholesale move to EVs was never possible, either politically, economically, even materially in terms of battery minerals. So they are now tiptoeing into reversing themselves on it, but without admitting that's what they are doing.

    Its the same with all the green goals, like moving to wind power or in the UK to heat pumps. Announce, legislate, go to sleep, wake up and postpone the date or change the conditions, proclaim victory.

    • You're quite wrong. It's actually possible. You just have to force the racaille, the rabble, the shit people to give up their mobility. This is absolutely on the table. Sooner than you think, you won't be able to travel across the eurozone without very valid reasons, which means work. Just like in the USSR. You don't like it? Too bad, off to lager you go.

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