The EU will abandon plans to ban internal combustion engines from 2035, says a senior EU official.
Plans for a complete ban by the European Union on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines in 2035 have actually been dropped in favor of more flexible emissions regulations, according to Manfred Weber, president of the European People's Party and the largest political group in the European Parliament, according to Automotive News.
In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, Weber said that instead automakers would have to achieve a 90 percent reduction in co₂ emissions from new cars registered from 2035, rather than a full 100 percent reduction, and that the absolute zero emissions requirement would not apply from 2040. This change reverses what Weber called a "technological ban" on internal combustion engines, allowing the continued production and sale of all modern engine technologies manufactured in Europe, including Germany. According to him, this step will protect tens of thousands of industrial jobs.
This change is the result of constant lobbying by automakers and governments such as Germany and Italy, which have advocated for technological neutrality and consumer choice rather than strict bans. Parallel discussions suggest that the European Commission may also allow a five-year extension until 2040 for the use of internal combustion engines in plug-in hybrids and extended-range electric vehicles, provided they run on advanced biofuels or e-fuels. The upcoming regulatory package is also expected to postpone stricter real-world emissions testing for plug-in hybrids, underscoring the EU's broader refocusing on its decarbonization strategy for the automotive industry.