- Ban on ICE cars could be pushed back to 2040
- Manufacturers have argued against the legislation
- More hybrid and range extender powertrains likely to arrive
A report by German newspaper Bild this week claims that plans to impose a 2035 ban on selling new cars with an internal combustion engine in the European Union have been shelved, as reported by Reuters.
Manfred Weber – president of the EPP, the European Parliament’s largest party – reportedly stated that the plans were “off the table”, with a more flexible emissions reduction setup to be introduced instead.
“For new registrations from 2035 onwards, a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions will now be mandatory for car manufacturers’ fleet targets, instead of 100%,” Weber told the Bild.
There is still a vision to reduce CO2 emissions by 100%, but Weber claims this has now been pushed back to 2040. The move has, apparently, been made to secure “tens of thousands of industrial jobs”.
Unsurprisingly, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, the Stellantis Group and Renault all argued in favor of dropping ban, claiming that decisions should be led by customers rather than through legislation.
The original plan, which was signed off in 2021, was to ban the sale of any new vehicles with an internal combustion engine, effectively forcing carmakers to only sell pure electric vehicles by 2035.
However, many manufacturers have argued that the deadline is too tight and that demand for electric vehicles just isn’t there from the customer.
It is why major players, such as Porsche and Ford, have backtracked and pivoted away from pure electric plans in recent months.
Porsche, for example, proposed that both the new Macan and Cayenne would be all-electric, but then changed its mind and revealed that both petrol and hybrid vehicles would still be offered well into the future.
The UK, although now no longer part of the European Union, was among the first countries to propose a sales band on ICE cars back in 2020, but it is yet to state what its plans are following the Weber’s announcement.
Analysis: EVs remain inevitable
While the timeline has potentially been pushed back five years, there are still plans in motion to reduce CO2 emissions by 90%, which remains a tough target for many manufacturers.
It means anything with a combustion engine will likely become a plug-in hybrid or a range extending hybrid in order to meet the legislation.
It could also speed up the use of advanced biofuels and e-fuels, as these can be certified as carbon neutral if they are made using captured CO2 and renewable electricity.
The proposed relaxation of the deadline will give automakers more time to make what looks to be the inevitable switch to pure electric propulsion. In the meantime, they can still develop hybrid powertrains that are proving popular with customers due to their efficiency without the accompanying range anxiety.
Regardless, the next 15 years will continue to see most major automakers pivoting towards pure EVs in order to meet those 100% reduction in CO2 emissions targets, while pure EV newcomers – particularly those brands from China – will continue to have the competitive advantage.
Not only can they produce competitive EVs cheaper, they also lack the historical legacy of manufacturing ICE powertrains, and therefore the range and performance markers that come with it.
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