L’Unione Europea cambia idea. Dopotutto non vieterà i motori a combustione

Sorry for editing a bit the headline, it’s for more clarity reasons.

Here’s the article:

Most automakers are urging the European Union to drop the combustion engine ban planned for 2035. Car companies have legitimate reasons to push back, citing an underdeveloped charging infrastructure and higher EV prices. Additionally, there’s a serious risk that the automotive manufacturing industry would lose hundreds of thousands of jobs if all companies were forced to build only electric cars.

For a while, the EU seemed unwilling to budge. As recently as this past spring, the cut-off date was still in place. However, mounting pressure to change the legislation is finally working, as combustion engines will continue after the middle of the next decade. It appears a letter sent by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen persuaded the governing body to back away from the ban.

In an interview with German business newspaper Handelsblatt (subscription required), the Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism said the letter has been “very well received in Brussels.” Apostolos Tzitzikostas confirmed that combustion engines will continue past 2035, but only in cars running on low-emissions, renewable fuels such as synthetic and biofuels.

One relevant example is HVO100, made entirely from hydrotreated vegetable oil derived from vegetable oils and animal fats. BMW already fuels diesel cars made in Germany with HVO100, which is claimed to curb emissions by 90 percent compared to regular diesel.

In my view,  this is a mistake.  Time waits for no man,  and this will just lead to Chinese EV hegemony. 

Hard to see green future with all that money blocking their eyesight…

Yet another example why we’re just not good enough at this game. What’s next, subsidize the car industry because they’re not able to sell enough to compete with the better Chinese companies and we’re afraid that people will lose their jobs?

in practice it doesn’t matter, almost no one will want to buy combustible cars in 2035 anymore anyways. it will be like horse carriages, they aren’t banned (and funnily, at least here in Germany you don’t even need a drivers license to drive a horse carriage in regular traffic, so regulations for them are actually very favorable), but they also aren’t sold in any relevant numbers any more.

Europe Always chicken out.

Completely reasonable, now that we have enough synthetic and e-fuels to run our heavy machinery and airplanes (which can’t easily switch to batteries)… oh wait…

Wooohooo! Iike to have the flexibility. I think the market feedback is clear:

Ecar is meant to low/mid range buyer, and there is a danger of china.

No one wants an electric luxury vehicle at this stage, shown in the depreciation and sales.

Sport/enthusiast sales suffer even by hybridization and removing one cylinder

Money talk

I said years ago that this would happen, and everyone booed me. Anyone who really knows the EU has known for years that the key decision makers, their political affiliations, and their networks have way too much money in the game.

When a bunch of girlbosses successfully regulated the European car industry into oblivion and now they have to walk it back… Beautiful! 💅

Weak

We need politicians with a vision of the future, not just an eye on the pockets of today’s big corps. This ain’t it.

These sort of bans were always destined for this. It’s why politicians set the implementation date so far into the future. They can win votes immediately knowing they will likely not be around when the reality hits and the ban date is shifted or cancelled.

What is the point in producing them anyways when the world is moving towards electric which is cheaper to produce easier to maintain. And the Chinese already control the market which we are lagging behind. But sure, lets continue producing more of the antiques.

Just in time for VW (as Audi) enters F1 with new engine regs that use 100% sustainable fuel.

We’re looking to buy a new car but all EV:s are incredibly expensive, and the electricity market makes it very difficult to get good enough economy in it. We simply can’t afford an EV. I know we’re not alone in this situation.

Rare UE W. Let us enjoy real cars, not vacum cleaners shaped like a box

Why are we so insistent on destroying our future?

>Apostolos Tzitzikostas confirmed that combustion engines will continue past 2035, but **only in cars running on low-emissions, renewable fuels such as synthetic and biofuels**.

Unsurprisingly a lot of people didn’t bother to read the article.

No other country is introducing a ban to ICEs. The idea to ban them was stupid to begin with.

It is not a surprise that the EU is backtracking.