VW brand chief not concerned with e-fuels: ‘by 2035, combustion is over’
VW brand chief Thomas Schäfer said that recent discussion over an e-fuel exception to EU’s 2035 gas car ban is “unnecessary noise” and that “by 2035 [combustion engines] are over anyway,” in a recent interview with Automotive News Europe.
The interview mostly covered European topics, such as the availability of Volkswagen’s upcoming EVs in Europe. But the VW executive also spoke forcefully about electrification being a no-brainer.
The EU was recently about to finalize a plan to ban new internal combustion engine cars in 2035 across the bloc, but at the final hour, auto-producing countries, including Germany and Italy, objected. The proposal was slated not to get final approval until Germany made a compromise with the EU Commission, allowing e-fuels as a “climate-neutral” fuel for combustion vehicles.
E-fuels are synthetic fuels that can be produced from captured carbon emissions. They can be considered carbon neutral because those carbon emissions would have been released into the atmosphere, but are captured, turned into fuels, and then burned and… released back into the atmosphere. However, since their use as a fuel did not contribute to increased emissions over what the baseline would have been before their capture, this is why they are considered carbon neutral.
But e-fuels also need a source of carbon to be fueled with, to begin with, and most carbon capture currently happens in oil & gas fields. This carbon is often used to help drill more oil or used in tricky accounting to make firms look carbon-neutral when they aren’t. If carbon reductions from capture get double counted – for example, by the oil company doing the capturing and by the cars that are burning it – then we end up pretending that we’re making more carbon reductions than we actually are.
And they still emit as many harmful air pollutants as fossil fuels, and are therefore still harmful to human health.
It takes energy to make e-fuels as well, and that energy could just be used to fuel an electric car in the first place. Why waste solar and wind resources on converting carbon into fuel, only to burn it and release that carbon into the atmosphere, when you could just charge a car with the electricity from solar and wind in the first place?
And they also perpetuate the combustion engine. An e-fuels exception means that companies can continue making combustion engine cars, convince themselves that they’re carbon neutral, but also sell them in locales without an e-fuel requirement, which still causes just as much global warming. And those global warming emissions affect everyone, whether they happen in Europe or Saudi Arabia.
VW brand chief sees e-fuels as a distraction
So the e-fuel exemption is somewhat of a maintenance of the status quo or “unnecessary noise,” as Schäfer rightly called it:
What you do you think about Germany’s [subsequently successful] bid to modify the 2035 EU combustion engine ban to include cars powered by e-fuels?
Schäfer: That’s unnecessary noise from my point of view. By 2035 [combustion engines] are over anyway. We said by 2033 we’re done. By 2030 we plan that 80 percent of our vehicles sold in Europe are battery electric, so why spend a fortune on old technology that doesn’t really give you any benefit?
Who’s behind the German position? Party politics? VW Group CEO Oliver Blume?
Schäfer: It’s not Mr. Blume behind it. I guarantee that. This discussion around e-fuels is widely misunderstood. They have a role to play in existing fleets, but won’t replace EVs. That’s complete nonsense. Look at the physics of making e-fuels. We don’t have enough energy as it is, so why waste it on e-fuels?
VW has been among those at the forefront of the industry in terms of electrification. Much of its progress happened under former CEO Herbert Diess, who stepped down last year and was replaced by former Porsche CEO Oliver Blume.
There was some question over whether Blume would be as positive about electrification as Diess, who said consumers would be “dumb” to buy one of VW’s gas cars in 2021. But it looks like VW as a brand is at least charging forward with its EV plans, per Schäfer’s comments in this interview. And according to Schäfer, Blume, CEO of Germany’s largest company, apparently was not behind Germany’s push to get the e-fuel exemption into the EU regulations.
Schäfer points out that the e-fuel question is largely irrelevant to VW and should be irrelevant to the industry as a whole. VW is done with combustion engines, EV demand will be high by 2035, and there’s no sense in investing money to improve an inferior, older technology like combustion engines.
He also stated, in an answer about upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations, that VW “would rather put [its] money into electrification during the final years of the combustion engine than make a final version of it that is prohibitively expensive.” If Euro 7 requires hefty R&D to make gas engines cleaner, why bother spending that money when EVs are already clean?
Electrek’s Take
Clearly, we agree with Schäfer here. Making exemptions to regulations purely to perpetuate combustion engines is folly.
Not only will companies be wasting money developing a dead-end technology (which Daimler, inventor of the combustion engine, stopped doing in 2019), but they’ll be giving up a perfectly good opportunity to electrify now. By wasting focus on dead technology, they only put themselves into a worse long-term position because the future is coming no matter what.
We see this happening in the US as well, as automakers’ current EV commitments aren’t enough in light of new EPA rules. Automakers could respond to these rules by begging for exceptions so they don’t have to follow the rules, or they could increase their commitments in recognition that technology, consumer desires, and the threat of climate change are all advancing quickly.
In the EU, some governments chose the former path, asking for exemptions. But more intelligent brands, like Voltswagen, seem to see the way the tide is changing.
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It’s been a decidedly weird month in the heavy truck world, and it just keeps getting weirder. Hydrogen shipping startup Hyroad Energy has acquired Nikola Motor’s hydrogen assets and IP, including 113 HFCEV semis, spare parts, and refueling infrastructure.
Hyroad Energy calls itself a leader in hydrogen-powered Class-8 trucks and trucking-as-a-service solutions, and aims to deliver, “reliability, safety, and cost-efficiency for superior results,” according to the company’s website. “We help fleets embrace hydrogen power without the complexities of going it alone. We manage the risks, finance the assets, and leverage economies of scale to drive down costs.”
Those claims became a lot more credible last week, when the company grew its hydrogen semi fleet from (apparently) 0 to 113 Class 8 semi trucks following the acquisition of Nikola’s orphaned hydrogen assets, which include the trucks, a number of spares, and the operational infrastructure needed to keep them on the road.
Hyroad CEO Dmitry Serov says that this acquisition, “significantly advances Hyroad’s mission to provide turnkey hydrogen trucking solutions that reduce the complexity and risk typically associated with adopting zero-emission technologies,” adding, “these trucks and the corresponding equipment and systems represent immediate capacity to put proven hydrogen fuel cell technology on the road to meet demand for zero-emission trucks.”
The company plans to deploy its newly-acquired fleet assets in California, initially, where some hydrogen refueling infrastructure already exists. More importantly, though, the company says it fully intends to support any Nikola hydrogen trucks already in service, in a bid to promote continuity and market growth for hydrogen-fueled commercial vehicles.
Electrek’s Take
The great Tymme Switzer once told me that you could judge a person based on whether or not they would do the right thing when they could get away with doing the wrong thing. In this case, Hyroad seems like it’s going to help – or, at least, try to help existing Nikola customers who have been struggling with their trucks to keep their hydrogen trucks on the road.
Say whatever you want about hydrogen (you know where I stand), but compare Hyroad’s verbal commitment to the hydrogen community to Lion Electric’s calculated abandonment of its customers and callous indifference towards the school districts it fleeced, and continue to judge accordingly.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Hyroad, via ACT News.
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Key Biscayne, a small barrier island off the coast of Miami, has become one of the only places in the United States where all electric bikes are completely banned, regardless of speed class, rider age, or motor power.
This week, the village council voted 4-3 to keep its sweeping e-bike ban in place, rejecting a proposed measure that would have repealed the restriction and allowed adults to ride electric bicycles on the island. The vote effectively makes permanent a controversial emergency ban enacted last year, which was originally framed as a temporary public safety measure following the death of a local cyclist.
Under the current rule, no electric bicycles of any kind are allowed anywhere in Key Biscayne, including Class 1 pedal-assist bikes that are legal on most public bike paths across Florida. The ban applies to both residents and visitors and has been enforced with warnings and fines.
Before the vote, there was major support for repealing or modifying the e-bike ban. Even the Key Biscayne Police Department had recommended loosening the ban, suggesting that the village adopt a more balanced policy allowing adults to ride responsibly while continuing to restrict use by minors. Despite that recommendation, the council chose to maintain the full prohibition.
The issue has deeply divided the affluent community, where many residents support the ban due to concerns about reckless youth riders and congestion on narrow paths. Others argue that the policy is overly broad and punishes responsible adults, tourists, and commuters who rely on e-bikes as a sustainable and accessible transportation option.
With no exemption even for low-speed pedal-assist bikes, Key Biscayne stands out as a rare enclave where electric bicycles remain entirely illegal – one of few in the US – highlighting the growing tensions around e-mobility in tight-knit communities grappling with safety, access, and change.
What do you think? Should e-bikes be completely banned in these exclusive communities, or should there be leeway for creating common-sense laws that promote transportation while ensuring the safety of all road users?
via: NBCMiami
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Environment
Kia is launching all the cool new EVs in Europe, while the US gets put on the back burner
Why is Europe getting all the fun new electric vehicles? After its electric SUV, the EV3, has already become a top seller in Europe, Kia is doubling down with new models, like the EV5 and EV4. Thanks to the new tariffs, Kia is pushing for EVs in Europe while the US gets left on the back burner.
Which EVs is Kia launching in Europe and the US?
After launching the EV3 in late 2024, Kia’s compact electric SUV “started with a bang,” as the most popular retail EV in the UK in January.
Through the first half of the year, the Kia EV3 has remained the UK’s best-selling EV among retail customers, with nearly 6,300 registrations. Including commercial vehicles, it was the fourth most popular EV overall.
Kia looks to build on its success with a flurry of new EVs on the way. After opening orders for the EV4 hatchback in June, its first all-electric hatch, Kia introduced the Fastback version, or sedan model, less than two weeks later.
And then, last month, we got our first look at the upgraded EV5, the European version of Kia’s Tesla Model Y-sized electric SUV, which has been on sale in China since 2023.
Kia plans to begin EV4 deliveries in Europe in September. The hatchback will be the first EV Kia builds in Europe at its Zilina plant in Slovakia. Kia said the move will speed up deliveries. However, the sedan will still be built in South Korea.
The EV5 will arrive in Europe later this year. Kia is launching the EV5 in North America in early 2026, but it will be “exclusive to the Canadian market.”
Next year, Kia will introduce the smaller, more affordable EV2. The EV2 will sit underneath the EV3 as Kia’s new entry-level electric vehicle.
Outside of the EV4, which Kia will launch in the US in early 2026, no other models have been confirmed for the US. Although it was spotted testing in the US again this week, the last official release from Kia specifically said the EV5 will be exclusive to the Canadian market in North America.
The EV4 will arrive, but only as a sedan. It will feature up to 330 miles of driving range and a built-in NACS port for charging at Tesla Superchargers.
Kia has yet to reveal prices, but the EV4 is expected to start at around $35,000. In the UK, the hatch starts at £34,695 ($47,700) with up to 388 miles WLTP driving range. The Fastback, or sedan variant, is priced from £40,895 ($55,000) with a driving range of up to 380 miles.
And that’s not even touching the PV5, Kia’s first electric van. Kia is launching the PV5 Passenger and Cargo models across Europe, but whether it will arrive in the US is still up in the air.
Electrek’s Take
Kia’s decision to prioritize Europe over the US is thanks to the Trump Administration’s new tariffs on vehicle imports. Imported vehicles from South Korea are subject to a 15% tariff.
On top of this, the $7,500 federal tax credit is set to expire at the end of September, which will make the US EV market even more competitive.
Kia’s electric vehicle sales are already down significantly this year. Through July, Kia has sold nearly half as many EV9 and EV6 models as it did in 2024. The Korean auto giant is expected to offset slower EV sales in the US with new models arriving in Europe.
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