Germany Threatens to Hold Up EU Combustion Engine Ban
2023-03-04
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1Germany's transport minister says his country cannot support a planned European Union ban on new cars with combustion engines until the proposal is changed.
2Minister Volker Wissing is seeking to have language added to the proposal that would permit sales of new combustion engines that run on cleaner burning synthetic fuels.
3Wissing said synthetic fuels can be produced using renewable energy and carbon captures from the air.
4Supporters of such fuels say they would not release any further climate-changing pollution, or emissions, into the atmosphere.
5EU lawmakers and member states reached an early deal last year to force carmakers to reduce new vehicle emissions by 55 percent in 2030 compared to 2021 levels.
6The plan calls for a 100 percent reduction in 2035.
7The proposal effectively means the sale of new cars burning hydrocarbon-based fuels, such as petroleum, would be banned.
8But some countries, including Germany, had asked the EU's executive Commission to come up with an exemption for cars that burn synthetics.
9Wissing has said the EU Commission should propose a new rule permitting combustion engines to be registered after 2035 if they can prove they run on synthetic fuels.
10Critics say battery-electric technology is a better fit for passenger cars.
11They have suggested that valuable synthetic fuels should be used only in cases where no other possibility exists, such as with airplanes.
12Benjamin Stephan of environmental group Greenpeace says studies show the same amount of electricity will take a battery-powered vehicle five times further than a car-powered by synthetic fuels.
13Stephan said he does not think such synthetic fuels will play an important part for passenger vehicles.
14He urged Germany's automotive industry to instead invest in electronic vehicles.
15I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Germany's transport minister says his country cannot support a planned European Union ban on new cars with combustion engines until the proposal is changed. 2Minister Volker Wissing is seeking to have language added to the proposal that would permit sales of new combustion engines that run on cleaner burning synthetic fuels. 3Wissing said synthetic fuels can be produced using renewable energy and carbon captures from the air. Supporters of such fuels say they would not release any further climate-changing pollution, or emissions, into the atmosphere. 4EU lawmakers and member states reached an early deal last year to force carmakers to reduce new vehicle emissions by 55 percent in 2030 compared to 2021 levels. The plan calls for a 100 percent reduction in 2035. 5The proposal effectively means the sale of new cars burning hydrocarbon-based fuels, such as petroleum, would be banned. 6But some countries, including Germany, had asked the EU's executive Commission to come up with an exemption for cars that burn synthetics. Wissing has said the EU Commission should propose a new rule permitting combustion engines to be registered after 2035 if they can prove they run on synthetic fuels. 7Critics say battery-electric technology is a better fit for passenger cars. They have suggested that valuable synthetic fuels should be used only in cases where no other possibility exists, such as with airplanes. 8Benjamin Stephan of environmental group Greenpeace says studies show the same amount of electricity will take a battery-powered vehicle five times further than a car-powered by synthetic fuels. 9Stephan said he does not think such synthetic fuels will play an important part for passenger vehicles. He urged Germany's automotive industry to instead invest in electronic vehicles. 10I'm Bryan Lynn. 11Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the European Space Agency, The Associated Press and NASA. 12___________________________________________________________ 13Words in This Story 14combustion engine - n. an engine that produces energy by burning fuel within itself 15synthetic - adj. a group of products made from artificial substances, often copying a natural product 16_____________________________________________________________ 17What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 18Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.