From 2035 only CO2-free new cars – VDA on the decision of the EU Parliament

VDA President Hildegard Müller:
"The ramp-up of electromobility is reflected in a constant stream of new vehicle offerings. At the same time the de facto ban on combustion engines for passenger cars from 2035 has now been passed by Parliament. This remains a decision against a consumer and industrial policy that is open to technology and friendly to innovation. And it ignores the still more than inadequate development and expansion of the European charging infrastructure. The fact is: only a policy that takes into account the realities of life of consumers, enables charging anytime and anywhere at affordable prices and provides the necessary amount of climate-neutral energy and raw materials is a responsible and strategic policy: for the climate, for the people and for the industry.

This criticism and this claim express our determination to actually achieve the ambitious climate goals through new technologies. Only if the European path to climate neutrality is successful so that it is copied worldwide we will really see a progress in global climate protection. Basically, you also need to look beyond the European borders: In order to achieve the climate goals in transport, all climate-friendly technologies are needed. The companies in the German automotive industry operate globally. Combustion engines will still be needed around the world after 2035. The different technologies will contribute to sustainable mobility in different regions. The German automotive industry does not want to and must not leave this progress and the associated added value to other regions of the world alone.

In this context, synthetic fuels are essential in order to also decarbonize the already existing fleet of vehicles: 280mn combustion engines in Europe alone, 1.5bn worldwide. Only if these vehicles are also climate-neutral in the future we can achieve the ambitious goals of climate neutrality. We urgently need synthetic fuels for this. But instead of promoting e-fuels, Europe has ruled out this technology so far, ignoring the vehicle stock in terms of achieving the climate goals. This is unrealistic and harms climate protection."