The European Commission is seeking to resolve its spat with Germany over a proposed EU ban on vehicles with combustion engines by suggesting new models running on carbon-neutral e-fuels could be sold in the bloc after 2035.
Under the draft proposal, a new category of vehicle would be created for cars that could only run on such fuels — so-called “e-fuels only”. They would be fitted with technology to prevent them using traditional fossil fuels such as petrol and diesel.
However, it was still unclear on Tuesday whether Germany, whose car industry accounts for around a fifth of the country’s industrial revenues, had accepted the proposal. The German transport ministry said only that it was continuing to consult with the commission on a possible solution to the dispute.