E-mobility alone insufficient

On Wednesday, the European Parliament's Environment Committee voted on its position on a Commission bill. The issue was measures to achieve climate targets, among others by phasing out internal combustion engines. Although the final vote in the plenary will take place in June, the committee decided in favour of the switch to electric drives. The focus was on all-electric vehicles. But industry representatives and some MEPs saw rejected amendments regarding further climate-friendly solutions as the way to greener and more efficient mobility.  

Among the failed amendments are the promotion of e-fuels as an alternative to the electric motor. These are synthetic fuels that chemical plants produce from hydrogen and CO₂. The high electricity consumption required in the process is to be provided by regeneratively generated electricity. What speaks in favour of e-fuels is not only the desired CO2 neutrality, but also the fuel's flexibility of use. Namely, e-fuels can also be used by combustion engines and do not require a battery. Only rarely is a drive conversion necessary.  

While the EU continues on the path of conversion to purely electric vehicles, other countries prefer a combination of different technologies for fuel production. Recently, the German government spoke out in favour of a fuel mix, declaring e-fuels to be indispensable for achieving climate targets. In particular, they should contribute to achieving climate neutrality in transport sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as heavy road freight transport, shipping and aviation. They should therefore serve as a supplement to electromobility where it is currently not operational. In addition, e-fuels should offer a larger part of the population the opportunity to drive in a more climate-friendly way. Even in the future, not all people will be able or want to afford an e-car, explains Managing Director of the eFuel Alliance Ralf Diemer. We will not be able to do justice to climate protection with electric mobility alone," Diemer continues. According to Diemer, the EU should also take e-fuels into account and give them the chance to contribute positively to European electrification efforts and the decarbonisation of transport. However, in order for them to realise their potential in everyday life, it is necessary to support technical research efforts. At present, the production of electricity-based fuels does not go beyond the scale of pilot plants and, for this reason, the costs are likely to be significantly higher than those for diesel and petrol until the 2030s. Studies put the cost at around 4.50 euros per litre of diesel equivalent. However, as e-fuels will initially only be added to conventional fuels in small quantities, the price at the filling station will only rise marginally. 

Whether at European or national level, the decisions to be taken in the coming months will be of decisive importance. Then it will become clear who among environmental, transport or industrial politicians will have the upper hand.