Germany and the rest of the EU have officially agreed to an E-fuel exception to a proposed ban on new ICE vehicle sales beginning in 2035.
Essentially a refinement of language, the ban will still seek to move the European Union toward carbon neutrality, but not by the wholesale ban of combustion engine technology.
So now that the EU can press onward to carbon neutrality by 2050, OEMs who have gone all in on electrification may decide to bring some ICE options back, and German cars will be able to burn fuel that sounds like a caffeinated beverage from the mid 90s.
In case you’re curious. E-fuel is created by breaking water into its hydrogen and oxygen components. CO2 is pulled from the air and combined with hydrogen to create a “liquid energy carrier.” So e-fuel is simply understood as liquified electricity. Lightning in a bottle, y’all.