Combustion engines may still have a chance after 2035

Exactly 10 years from now, in 2035, if everything goes according to plan, there will be no petrol or diesel cars in European showrooms and the range of new cars will be limited to electric vehicles. This is a prospect that has been, and still is, the subject of much debate in Europe, and one that - perhaps - could change dramatically.

The European Union has opened the door to the sale of plug-in cars even after 2035, leaving room for combustion engines, according to reports in the German newspaper Der Spiegel. The confirmation comes from an official document published in recent days by the European Commission, which states that "technological neutrality is the key to the process". The situation is being reversed.

Paradigm shift

The document reads:

"Mobility and technology neutrality are key to competitiveness. [...] Furthermore, in order to achieve climate neutrality in 2035 for cars, a technology-neutral approach will be required, in which synthetic fuels (e-fuels) could also play a role, through a targeted amendment of the regulation as part of the planned revision".

E-fuels could therefore have a future after 2035, so that combustion engines do not have to be phased out by 31 December 2034. But there is more, as Der Spiegel also talks about plug-ins.

Let the market speak

The German newspaper spoke to Mercedes lobbyist Eckart von Klaeden, who stressed that the decarbonisation path should be market-driven, not sanctions-driven, with regulation "permanently open to technology so that climate-friendly products such as plug-in hybrids and range extenders can continue to be approved".

Technologies that, like e-fuels, allow the continued use of thermal engines and in which many manufacturers, including Mercedes, are investing. However, it should be remembered that it is precisely PHEV powertrains that will have to comply with the new Euro 6e-bis standard from 1 January 2025, which provides for stricter type-approval tests to ensure that declared consumption and emissions are as close as possible to real-world data.

As for the possibility of survival after 2035, we will have to wait for the comparisons between the European Commission and the manufacturers.

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