German auto lobby recommends ending all fossil fuel sales by 2045
The main lobby group of the German automobile industry has recommended that all fossil fuel sales should be ended in Germany by 2045.
The news comes from a new position paper (source in German) released by the the Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA), the trade group representing some 600 automobile-related companies in the country where the automobile was first invented.
The lobby group, in stark contrast to how American lobbyists often operate, said that the European Union’s guidance on fuels do not go far enough, and need to be stricter if it wants to reach the goal of climate-neutral road traffic by 2045.
The criticism relates to the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive III (RED III), adopted last year. It sets out goals for renewable energy deployment in various realms, including the adoption of low-carbon fuel sources for road transport.
The VDA spends much of its time advocating in its position paper for “renewable fuels of non-biological origin” (RFNBOs), which is an umbrella term for both green hydrogen (generated through electrolysis of water via renewable energy) and e-fuels produced by combining green hydrogen with other chemicals to create synthetic liquid fuels.
These fuels would be beneficial for certain heavy-duty applications for which batteries are currently too heavy, as they can be more energy dense than batteries. And as VDA points out, there are currently tens of millions of combustion vehicles on the roads in Germany whose impact could be reduced immediately via the application of sustainable fuels.
But their application has been controversial, because it is thought of as a way to maintain current auto industry practices rather than quickly reforming the whole auto industry around electrification. It’s also much more energy intensive than directly fueling vehicles with electricity, even when the most green methods are used for e-fuel production. As a result, environmental organizations typically recommend that e-fuels shouldn’t have a place in road transport, rather more in aviation and shipping.
Further, EU member nations were able to water down RED III’s targets on e-fuel adoption (with Germany being one of the main advocates for this stipulation, though there was debate among German automakers).
VDA claims that bonus incentives for e-fuels, and particularly for hydrogen, should be retained for some time before ramping down, in order to incentivize nascent enterprises focusing on their production. And that long-term targets with higher mixes of these fuels should be adopted now – VDA wants to see renewable fuel use rise to 60% by 2035, 90% by 2040, and 100% by 2045.
But after stating this target, VDA says its most interesting sentence, from which this article got its title: “In the interests of climate protection, fossil fuels should no longer be allowed to be sold at German petrol stations from 2045 onwards.”
In context, VDA is arguing that gas stations should still remain open and still sell fuel, but that that fuel should be entirely renewable. But it is a rather stark statement, and one that might not be expected from an auto industry lobbyist – a recognition of climate change and the huge amount that road transport contributes to it, and a rapid end to the primary way that road transport fuels climate change.
Electrek’s Take
We have seen various efforts to stop the sale of new combustion-engined vehicles by 2035 (which we have repeatedly argued should be sooner, and some countries indeed have targeted earlier timelines), but this might be our first time hearing an auto lobbyist call for an end to fossil fuel sales.
That said, the context of arguing in favor of greater e-fuel adoption means that this call by the VDA isn’t as entirely ambitious as it might originally seem.
While VDA is correct that current vehicles will remain on the road for a long time, and that a solution that allows them to decarbonize would be beneficial, we share the worry that e-fuels are simply a way to maintain current industry practices.
The recent history of advocacy for e-fuels by German firms does give us the feeling that there is an undercurrent of some companies trying to forestall industry electrification. Much in the same way that focus on hydrogen, or on predictions of future battery improvements, have been used by Japanese firms to convince the market that now is not the time for fully-electric vehicles.
So we have to be skeptical of this to some extent, because it would be a shame if a call like this resulted in less momentum for industry electrification, which is an objectively less energy intense step for decarbonization. The IEA (and… everyone else) acknowledges that electrification of transport is one of the most important strategies for reducing CO2 emissions.
But regardless, we must say – naturally, we agree with the VDA that fossil fuel sales need to end by 2045.
Frankly, earlier would be good – there’s genuinely no time too early to end fossil fuel sales, and no pace too quick to reduce them. The magnitude of the harm that climate change will otherwise cause, and the cost of trying to reduce it which will only increase as time goes on, dictate this.
And to see an auto industry organization at least acknowledge that fossil fuels sales need to end by 2045 completely in order to hit Germany’s 2045 carbon neutrality goal (and EU’s 2050 goal) is quite striking. We’re used to industry organizations whining about every little thing – even rules they claim to support – so it’s nice to see a step in the right direction.
But hopefully, German and EU regulators go even further than what VDA has asked, and don’t rely so heavily on e-fuels to get to carbon neutrality, and rather to increasing ambitions around electrification, public transport, and micromobility.
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DHL Express has more than 10,000 eSprinter vans in its global delivery fleet, but none of those have been deployed in North America – until now, that is! The company recently added 45 new Mercedes eSprinter panel vans, and they’ve got plans for plenty more!
While Mercedes offers its eSprinters with a promised 206 mile estimated range, DHL says it’s consistently seen them exceed 240 miles in stop-and-go delivery duty, making them the longest-range battery electric vehicles in DHL’s US fleet.
This extended capacity makes them ideally suited for urban logistics while expanding their potential use in longer delivery routes. The eSprinter vans also offer the same massive cargo capacity as their diesel-powered brothers, making them efficient last-mile delivery solutions that don’t compromise on payload or operational reliability.
And, of course, the eSprinter will do all of that without the noise, vibration, and harmful carbon emissions of diesel.
“Electrifying our fleet is one of the most visible and impactful ways we are moving toward a more sustainable future,” explains Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Express, US. “The Mercedes-Benz eSprinter brings an extended range and proven cargo capabilities that allow us to serve our customers with zero emissions, while also advancing our global goal of more sustainable logistics. These vehicles not only strengthen our operations in major US cities but also set the stage for future electric fleet growth across the Americas.”
The 45 eSprinters will see deployment in Chicago, Indiana, and Pittsburg, and will act as a first step DHL’s global Sustainability Roadmap, which will see the company electrify 66% of its last-mile US delivery fleet (and some of its long-haul fleet operations) by 2030.
Electrek’s Take
In addition to these 45 vans, DHL is electrifying its European and Asian delivery fleets, ramping up its sustainable aviation fuel use, and even exploring electric semis, eVTOL and hybrid aircraft deliveries, and more.
In short, they’re doing the right thing – or seem to be, anyway. Whether or not that commitment to decarbonization will win them more American customers remains to be seen.
SOURCE | IMAGES: DHL, via PR Newswire.
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Enphase Energy just launched a new off-grid system that lets homeowners power their homes without a utility connection – even for extended periods. The California-based Enphase says the off-grid setup delivers a seamless way to live independently from the grid while still using solar, batteries, and a standby AC generator.
A full off-grid setup
The new system combines Enphase’s IQ Battery 5P with embedded grid-forming microinverters, IQ8 Series Microinverters with Sunlight JumpStart, and a third-party standby AC generator. The components work together to supply power to a home and automatically manage energy sources to maximize efficiency and reliability.
If the batteries are drained and the generator runs out of fuel, the Sunlight JumpStart feature can automatically recharge the batteries the next morning once the sun comes up.
The IQ Battery 5P delivers 3.84 kVA of power per 5 kWh of capacity, and systems can be scaled up to 40 kWh and 15.4 kVA. That’s enough power to start big household appliances like HVAC systems or water pumps. The IQ System Controller 3G provides the backbone, managing solar, batteries, and generator inputs to deliver up to 46 kVA of off-grid power.
Smarter control and connectivity
Each system connects to the cloud through Enphase’s IQ Combiner 5C HDK, which bundles solar interconnection, communications, and metering into one box. For homes without reliable broadband, the built-in 4G LTE Cat 4 modem keeps the system online for monitoring, firmware updates, and remote support.
Homeowners can manage everything from the Enphase App – from solar generation and battery status to generator integration and load control.
Why it matters
As grid outages become more common and homeowners look for ways to gain energy independence, off-grid systems like this are becoming more appealing.
“With the launch of our off-grid solution, we are giving homeowners a reliable path to complete energy independence,” said Nitish Mathur, Enphase’s SVP of customer experience. Enphase says over 100 homes are already operating entirely off-grid using its technology. The company plans to expand availability beyond the US in 2026.
Read more: Battery boom: 5.6 GW of US energy storage added in Q2
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Global offshore wind targets are still strong enough to triple global capacity by 2030, despite the US’s offshore wind stagnation under Trump. A new analysis from energy think tank Ember and the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) shows that the rest of the world is charging forward, underscoring confidence in offshore wind as a cornerstone of future clean energy systems.
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