German government reluctant to find position on e-fuels

Synthetic fuels generated with electricity are a viable option to improve the climate record of Germany’s transport sector but the government has so far failed to come up with a clear position on e-fuels, Klaus Stratmann writes in the Handelsblatt. “Carmakers want to use the tools they need to meet the [EU’s] emissions reduction targets,” but e-fuels so far are not counted when calculating vehicle fleet emissions, Stratmann writes. With regard to upcoming EU deliberations on the matter on 9 October, the German economy and energy ministry (BMWi) said it would discuss the issue but fell short of outlining its position. Carmakers and German industry lobby group BDI argue that a switch to including e-fuels in fleet emissions calculations could incentivise large-scale production of synthetic fuels and kickstart a wave of developments without any state support.

Read the article in German here (paywall).

For background, read the interview Emission-free aviation is technically feasible - DLR Researcher.