What are e-fuels, and can they help make cars CO2-free?

BERLIN/BRUSSELS (HRNW) – Germany declared last-minute opposition to a landmark European Union law to end sales of CO2-emitting cars in 2035, demanding that sales be allowed of new cars with internal combustion engines after that date if they run on e-fuels.

The EU rules would require all new cars sold from 2035 to have zero CO2 emissions, making it effectively impossible to sell new fossil fuel-powered cars.

The law – which Germany, alongside a majority of EU countries and lawmakers, previously supported – would not ban internal combustion engines (ICEs).

But it is seen as a death knell for the technology because of a dearth of options that could enable ICE cars to operate without producing CO2.

Here’s what you need to know.