Combustion engine ban in 2035 in danger: Markus Söder's attempt to slow down

It's no real surprise: Just in time for the International Motor Show (IAA) in Munich, there are renewed calls for a more fundamental departure from the EU-wide ban on combustion engines starting in 2035. CSU leader Markus Söder has made this demand once again, this time as part of a "ten-point plan," which also includes the end of combustion engine driving bans in inner cities and greater technological openness.

The EU-wide ban on combustion engines is actually planned for 2035. It was part of the EU's Green Deal. But since the rather ambitious environmental and climate protection program was transformed into the slimmed-down Clean Industrial Deal following the 2024 European elections, the plan has been shaky.

And Söder is also taking aim at this. "The combustion engine has a future with e-fuels and new technologies," is the first point of his plan. However, this is precisely what is highly questionable – especially with regard to passenger transport.

E-fuels, which are produced using electricity from hydrogen and CO₂ from the atmosphere, are far from economically viable. The effort required to produce them is immense, and the processes are expensive. Therefore, e-fuels should primarily be reserved for aviation or shipping – there are no affordable alternatives.

Biofuels like HVO 100 are also not a viable solution. Firstly, they further fuel the already strong global demand for palm oil – and thus also large-scale deforestation. Secondly, just like e-fuels, they are significantly less efficient than cars that run directly on electricity: With the same amount of electricity, an electric car can travel 700 kilometers, while a comparable combustion engine powered by e-fuels can travel only 100 kilometers.

But Söder's attempt to slow things down is counterproductive for another reason as well. The long-sluggish demand for electric cars is now also increasing in Germany. In August, one in five newly registered cars was an electric car. While VW Group CEO Oliver Blume doesn't want a complete ban on combustion engines by 2035, he emphasizes that e-mobility is the future. And at the IAA, 116 Chinese exhibitors are demonstrating this: The journey is heading toward electric cars.

Now it's crucial not to create new uncertainty – neither in the industry nor among those who want to buy a car. Those who constantly have to ask themselves whether a combustion engine or an electric car is the better alternative in the future will continue to hesitate. In addition, those who read the coalition agreement and were considering buying an electric car could have hoped for purchase incentives for private individuals in the spring. But the announced reduction in the electricity tax for everyone has so far failed to materialize. Advertising for the drive system transition is different.