The commitment of the new VW boss Blume to e-fuels not only has symbolic power, it was overdue. Politicians should now create the framework for eco-fuel. The market decides the rest.
Something’s going on. A hint of turning point in the turning point of time is in the air, very still and quiet. But it is powerfully shaking the green ideals of German environmental policy. Who would have expected that e-fuels, the combustion engine alternative to electric cars that had been frowned upon for a long time, could ultimately become socially acceptable?
For a decade, electromobility was considered the ultimate climate saver. There is no sign of openness to technology in politics. Alternative, climate-neutral drives for the combustion engine – powered by hydrogen in the form of synthetic fuels (e-fuels) or based on biological waste and waste in the form of HVO 100 or as admixtures – were categorically rejected by the Federal Ministry for the Environment or in Brussels offices. Car manufacturers such as BMW or the VDMA called for openness to technology, but were never heard.
It’s a rude awakening. Sensitive production interruptions for components, corona-related disruptions in car sales, shortages and increases in the price of important raw materials and, above all, cracks in the important supply chains from China due to Beijing’s rigorous lockdown policy have added to the rigid electromobility. The automakers couldn’t care less. They benefited from the lack of significant price increases and used the time to focus their model range on the high-margin upper market segments.
Review: The decision by the EU environment ministers in mid-May 2022, according to which the combustion engine in new cars in Europe was simply banned from 2035 due to unfulfillable exhaust gas regulations, was the culmination of the years of electric fixation. Germany’s representatives – led by Economics Minister Robert Habeck – also agreed.
Only as a result of violent interventions by Finance Minister Christian Lindner, which is said to have been preceded by intensive consultations with Porsche boss Oliver Blume, who will take over the management of Volkswagen from next week, did the EU environment ministers at the very last minute allow hydrogen-based fuels in the form of e- Fuels for combustion engines too.
Although the focus was on air and shipping traffic, less cars. But: according to the proposed law, a combustion engine with eco-fuel was allowed to live on. Then, a few days ago, Blume set the new course for Germany’s largest car manufacturer: In order to be fit for a low-CO2 future, Volkswagen also wants to use synthetic fuels. An announcement that can hardly be surpassed in its symbolic power.
The looming supply shortage of Russian natural gas and the fear of power outages have turned people’s minds and reignited an old discussion. Suddenly, it was realized that only half of the electricity in Germany was generated sustainably, i.e. “green” with wind and sun. For the remainder of the growing demand, including to fuel the planned fleet of one million fully electric vehicles by 2030, “dirty” electricity is essential. it is made from local coal, natural gas from Russia or oil from all over the world. Or it comes from nuclear power plants in France or our remaining three nuclear power plants.
The arguments show how sensible this turnaround was in people’s minds. For all-electric vehicles without a doubt, :
That cannot be dismissed out of hand. But,
For e-fuels or the clean diesel substitute HVO100 are therefore a useful addition. The following arguments speak in their favour:
But there are also valid arguments against e-fuels:
E-mobility with fully electric cars would undoubtedly be the best solution. But the big catch is: It’s a request concert! The replacement of the combustion engine fleet by electric vehicles is not feasible due to the lack of green energy and permanently higher acquisition costs. The federal government’s e-mobility initiative for a more climate-friendly future certainly made sense. Keep it up, only fossil burners cannot and must not exist. But this initiative has its limits.
The solution can only be a mix of technologies. Admittedly, e-fuels in combustion cars are only the second-best solution. But they are carbon neutral. They have the great advantage that they can be used anywhere in the world in passenger car fleets all over the world.
For climate reasons, both – e-cars and e-fuels – are urgently needed. It should now be the task of politics to ensure the framework conditions for the availability of eco-fuel at the filling station. The legislature must establish competitive equality. The state has subsidized BEVs with purchase premiums. Private investors ensure the provision of e-fuels. The market should decide the rest.
