Will the European Union continue to bet on only one method of reducing emissions from road transport, or will it adopt a more common-sense, hybrid approach?
That’s the question many will be asking as the EU enters its next political cycle—with a new European Parliament already in session and a new European Commission soon to take office—with the latest statistics from the car industry showing motorists are still wary of battery-electric vehicles.
Under its recently adopted legislation, which mandates that new cars sold from 2035 have zero emissions, the EU is essentially requiring automobile companies to shift all production to electric vehicles. While there could be room for carbon-neutral fuels to play a role, the European Commission has yet to define what will qualify under the definition of carbon-neutral.
This is an important question, especially because the recent surge in sales of hybrid cars—which run on a combination of battery-electric power and liquid fuel—clearly confirms the need for flexibility. As these cars will be on Europe’s roads until well beyond 2035, it’s more important than ever that renewable ethanol—which reduces GHG emissions from gasoline and hybrid cars by more than 79%, on average, compared to fossil fuels—play a role in EU transport decarbonization.
The most recent statistics in Europe show that sales of hybrid cars surged by 26.4% in June, according to ACEA, the European car industry association, while sales of battery-electric vehicles declined by 1%. Sales of gasoline cars remained stable in June, ACEA said.
Altogether, sales of gasoline, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars—which all run on liquid fuel—accounted for 70% of new car sales in June. More than ever, this underlines the importance of renewable ethanol for displacing fossil fuel in these vehicles.
Opening up to the contribution of renewable fuels as early as possible will not only help broaden the range of solutions and preserve affordable mobility for all EU citizens, but also lead to faster emissions reduction instead of waiting for sales of battery electric vehicles to grow and the infrastructure they require to develop.
In the coming months, as the EU moves to clarify its definition of CO2-neutral fuels, it should take this reality into consideration. It should also consider the major innovations in production that are already increasing the GHG-savings score of renewable ethanol, in some cases to more than 90% compared to fossil fuel. All renewable ethanol that is compliant with the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) should be included in the definition of CO2-neutral fuels.
Europe can’t afford to bet on electrification as the only solution for reducing emissions from cars. That’s not just common sense, it’s also the finding by the European Court of Auditors that in a 2023 report, warned against the current EU strategy of focusing only on electric vehicles, which will lead to overreliance on scarce resources needed for batteries.
A more pragmatic approach would make the best use of existing technologies that reduce emissions now, work in existing infrastructure, and preserve citizens’ purchasing power and freedom of mobility. When it comes to choosing between battery-electric and hybrid cars, it’s not an either-or situation: we need both.
