The European Union plans to ban the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines from 2035, meaning buyers will be able to choose electric or hydrogen cars, but some members are against it. Now, the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) is proposing a ban on the sale of fossil fuels in the EU from 2045.

Germany was one of the proponents to extend the sale of cars with ICE after 2035, but on the condition that only synthetic fuels are used. However, not everyone is convinced that this is a good thing. The chairman of the management board of BMW Oliver Zipse recently said that lawmakers shouldn’t rush with shutting down internal combustion engines. Instead, the EU should encourage the adoption of low-CO2 fuels as soon as possible. Not only for new cars but also for the existing fleet, because there are over 250 million cars in 27 EU countries.

“At the moment there are many indications that the European Commission is looking for a false solution whereby the ban on internal combustion engines is relaxed through an obviously misleading solution in the form of synthetic fuels,” Zipse said.

However, the VDA wants to ban the sale of petrol and diesel for new and old cars so that drivers switch to synthetic fuels, in order to reduce CO2.

Germany plans to have 15 million electric vehicles on its roads by 2030, but the reality is somewhat different, considering that this country is recording the biggest drop in sales of electric vehicles.

Source: Reuters