2030 ban on sale of new petrol and diesel cars ’not achievable’

Government rules out relaxation of rules to allow the use of e-fuels

2030 ban on sale of new petrol and diesel cars ’not achievable’

The UK government is unlikely to postpone the 2030 ban on the sales of new petrol and diesel cars, it emerged today.

There were calls for a postponement following the relaxing of EU restrictions and growing pressure from the German car industry.

Under current plans, the EU will ban the sales of new CO2-emitting cars in 2035. But the legislation now includes an exemption for e-fuels – carbon neutral alternatives.

E-fuels – or synthetic fuels – are made by mixing CO2 captured from the air with hydrogen produced using renewable or CO2-free electricity.

McLaren and Aston Martin are among the car manufacturers looking at e-fuels as an option for future models, while Porsche has invested €75m (£61m) in a pilot plant to produce e-fuels.

Ministers and experts have urged the UK government to follow the EU’s lead, suggesting that its decision is an indication that a re-think is required.

The former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told the Telegraph: ”The 2030 deadline for the elimination of petrol and diesel cars in the UK is simply not achievable.

“Unless we delay, we hand a massive boost to the Chinese car manufacturers. They are already dominant.”

On the subject of e-fuels, Andrew Graves of the University of Bath added: “I think it’s a very exciting technology that we’re looking at, so that we can not only use it for things like motorsport, but we can also more importantly use it for keeping existing vehicles on the road.

“I think there’s a lot of things that the Government needs to look at before it goes hell bent on just having a blanket ban on diesel or petrol.”

The Telegraph suggested that Whitehall was open to the idea of the use of synthetic fuels, if the industry can prove that they will be carbon neutral.

These rumours appear to have been debunked, with the Department for Transport (DfT) telling Fleet News it is not considering e-fuels as an alternative to petrol and diesel.

A DfT spokesperson said: “E-fuels are not proven technology, have expensive and complex supply chains, and emit much of the same pollutants as petrol and diesel. 

“They might have a role for specialist vehicles, but we are not looking at them as a solution for normal cars and vans.”

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