As recently suggested by Agriland, the desire by Germany to see the role of eFuel (produced from renewable sources) being recognised in the phasing out of fossil fuels has resulted in something of a fudge between it and the EU Commission.
After intense negotiation between the two parties, and with the backing of several other countries which objected to the ban on the sale of combustion-powered cars, it has been agreed that vehicles designed to be powered by eFuel will not be banned from sale.
eFuel confusion
The eFuel Alliance, which is a lobby group representing fuel providers and engine manufacturers, notes in its latest statement:
“The key point is a declaration by the EU Commission announcing concrete proposals on how to create a perspective for the approval of new vehicles powered by eFuels after 2035. A practicable methodology is to be developed by autumn 2024.”
Just what this means is unclear as there is no indication as to what these concrete proposals are, and quite what the methodology will look like 18 months hence.
However, one obvious question is why is it considered nessecery to produce cars that run on eFuels only, and how is it to be implemented?
Drop-in replacement
The great advantage of eFuel is that it is a direct drop-in replacement for diesel fuel, so all diesel-powered cars can run on them, and so any cars that are designed to run on eFuel will also be able to run on fossil-sourced diesel.
There may be three immediate answers to this, the first being a marked fuel. A dye is mixed with either the eFuel or fossil diesel and it is policed in the same way that the illegal use of green diesel is.
The second is to create a standard for filling hoses that will only fit eFuel designated cars, although this can be easily bypassed away from the forecourt.
The third is to alter the cetane rating of eFuel so that standard diesels will not run smoothly on them, however, this will impact on the efficiency and performance of the new engines.
A simple way forward
A fourth option would be to drop any attempts at segregation and simply charge less tax on eFuels to accelerate their production and adoption in all cars, by far the easiest and quickest solution.
The can has once again been kicked down the road with lobby groups representing those with vested interests in powering transport once again arguing over how they can each continue to profit from the beleaguered motorist.
Beleaguered motorists have, meanwhile, indicated their preference for staying with the internal combustion engine as evidenced by the recent fall in sales of electric vehicles, in Germany especially.