End of the road for net-zero?

Could the UK’s green car plans be about to unravel? That’s the hope of net-zero sceptics after the EU caved in on a ban on the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles amid fierce opposition from the German car lobby.

A zero-emissions limit was set to be imposed on the sale of new cars and vans from 2035. Now, however, internal combustion engines will be allowed as long as they burn carbon-neutral petrol alternatives.

The concession came after the German government strong-armed the EU in a backroom deal on Tuesday night.

It was the culmination of a tense weeks-long stand-off. Germany joined a rebel alliance alongside Italy, Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic, in insisting that e-fuels should be exempt from the legislation. (E-fuels are a mix of hydrogen and CO2 that emit some greenhouse gases but are cleaner than regular petrol). The European Parliament, having twice rejected efforts to include e-fuels in the 2035 legislation during earlier negotiations, finally relented.

The victory is being celebrated as a big win for the EU motor industry. It should allow for a compromise vehicle to have a fighting chance of succeeding in the market: one that mostly runs on electricity, but with a motor powered by e-fuel as a back-up on long journeys.

Yet the reality is that e-fuels are much more expensive than petrol, and Germany’s hard-won concession will mean only high-end carmakers will benefit, at least initially.

Still, the volte-face is grist to the mill of net-zero sceptics in Britain, who have seized on the move as proof that the UK’s own plans to eliminate car petrol and diesel cars are absurd.  

Under plans drawn up by Boris Johnson, the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned from 2023. The sale of hybrids will be allowed until 2035, but after that, only “zero-emission” vehicles such as fully electric cars and ones that run on hydrogen will be allowed.

Heading up the band of net-zero bashers is former leader Iain Duncan-Smith, who said: “The 2030 deadline for the elimination of petrol and diesel engine cars in the UK is simply not achievable.

“Unless we delay, we hand a massive boost to the Chinese car manufacturers. They are already dominant.”

As Ross Clark points out in The Telegraph, Britain’s car market isn’t big enough for the country to go its own way on the petrol/diesel ban. If it does, consumers will be restricted to pricey electric models – and the beleaguered UK car industry will be put under even more strain.

Rishi Sunak must decide. With the economy in serious trouble and an election on the horizon, he may see the objectives of his former boss fading out of sight in the rear-view mirror.

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