Porsche and Lamborghini get stay of execution on Europe’s petrol car ban

Further details have been announced by the European Union regarding its 2035 ban on internal-combustion engines, with low-volume car-makers given an extra year to meet the new rules.

Lamborghini and other manufacturers with new-car registrations of less than 10,000 annually will now have until 2036 to comply with the rules, according to a report by Automotive News Europe, while provisions have been made to allow for carbon-neutral fuels such as hydrogen and synthetic petrol and diesel.

Toyota has been developing engines which are powered by hydrogen, while Porsche has been at the forefront of synthetic petrol development – where carbon is captured from the atmosphere and recycled into fuel.

As announced in June 2022, the European Union is mandating a 55 per cent reduction in tailpipe emissions from passenger vehicles by 2030 compared to 2021 levels, with a 100 per cent reduction required by 2035 – all but killing off the internal-combustion engine as we know it today.

Commercial vans will only need to meet a 50 per cent reduction by 2030, but will be required to meet the zero CO2 emissions standard by 2035.

Pressure from member states Germany and Italy – as well as from G7 member Japan – means the new laws will allow for internal-combustion engines powered by zero-emission fuels.

“Following consultation with stakeholders, the [European] Commission will make a proposal for registering vehicles running exclusively on CO2-neutral fuels after 2035 in conformity with [European Union] law,” the European Council wrote in a statement this week.

MORE: Europe to ban petrol and diesel cars from 2035, but with concessions

Lawmakers will also create a standardised methodology to assess the “full life cycle of CO2 emissions of cars and vans placed on the [European Union] market” by 2025.

While reporting by carmakers will be voluntary to begin with, it’s the first time a framework will have been created that takes into account the emissions created in the supply-chain and manufacturing processes, encouraging carmakers to consider their energy inputs when building a vehicle.

Volkswagen this week confirmed it would stop production of petrol and diesel vehicles in Europe by 2033 – one of a number of large car companies committed to switching to electric before the 2035 ban comes into place.