The Spanish Confederation of Service Station Employers (Ceees) considers that the agreement reached by the European Parliament and the European Council to reduce 100% of emissions from new cars and vans from 2035 “has not sentenced” combustion enginesbut it is an “oxygen balloon” for them.
The Commission, Parliament and Council of the European Union have reached an agreement to reduce the CO2 emitted by cars and vans by 100% by 2035, which means an effective ban on the sale of vehicles with internal combustion engines.
This measure comes with intermediate goalssuch as the 55% reduction in emissions by 2030, compared to the figure for 2021. According to figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), one in five cars sold on the continent in 2021 was pluggable.
However, from Ceees they argue that the agreement, which still needs the approval of the Twenty-seven and the plenary session of the European Parliament to be definitively adopted, includes a section on neutral fuels in carbon dioxide (CO2) through which the Commission “will present a proposal to register vehicles that work exclusively with neutral fuels in CO2 after 2035«.
In this way, they consider that “the door is opened to the registration of vehicles with internal combustion engines as of that year as long as they are powered only by CO2-neutral fuels”, Ceees has clarified.
This organization has defended that the agreement “includes a review clause that will guarantee that, in 2026, the Commission thoroughly evaluates the progress made to achieve 100% emission reduction targets and the need to review these targets in the light of technological developments, including with regard to plug-in hybrid technologies.”
In this regard, he recalled that the plug-in hybrids They work, in addition to electricity, with liquid fuels. “And once again the Council and the Europarliament wink at this technology”, Ceees highlighted.
They add to this argument that the European Commission develop a common methodology of the EU in 2025 to assess the complete life cycle of CO2 emissions from cars and vans marketed in member countries, as well as the fuels and energy consumed by these vehicles.
«This point is especially relevant for Ceees, which has been defending the need to develop this methodology for years. It is just as important to make a detailed analysis of the life cycle ‘from the cradle to the grave’ of the vehicles as it is of the energy that drives them”, they highlight from the association.
Despite these considerations, the members of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) request a mid-term review of the CO2 objectives approved by the EU to assess whether the established goals are being met with regard to electricity market shares or the development of recharging infrastructure. “This unprecedented decision has unfathomable consequences,” says ACEA Chairman and CEO of BMW, Oliver Zipse. “The European automotive industry has faced the challenge of providing these electric cars, but we want to see that the conditions are met to reach the ambitious goals: renewable energy in abundance, a public and private charging infrastructure, as well as access to raw materials. ».
From the environmental association Transport & Environment (T&E), “the EU needs a solid industrial strategy that requires the use of local components in EV and battery manufacturing, so that we can ensure that EU car manufacturers remain at the forefront of leading the global race in this type of green technology.”
According to the person in charge of Electromobility of the organization Julia Poliscanova, “it is imperative that manufacturers produce more electric vehicles and batteries within Europe. On the demand side, policies are needed to help low-income families access electric cars.”