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The European Union aids owners of older vehicles with a proposal that would facilitate the continued use of internal combustion engines
An international group of classic experts says that moves in Europe to allow new petrol and diesel cars to remain on sale will help to keep cherished older vehicles on the road.
With the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles set to be banned in the UK from 2030 and in Europe from 2035 as part of plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 100 per cent, a new proposal from Brussels suggests allowing ICE engines to be sold on condition that they are run solely on synthetic Electrofuels (e-fuels).
The EU’s draft proposal ‘would create a new category of vehicle featuring technology which only allows engines to run on carbon-neutral fuel’. If a non-carbon-neutral fuel was introduced to the vehicle, the proposed ‘fuelling inducement system’ would prevent the engine from running.
Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA) welcomed the proposals and said that these fuels could be safely used in classic cars and help to ensure their survival.
FIVA president, Tiddo Bresters, said: ‘This EU decision to allow new internal combustion-engined vehicles to run on carbon-neutral fuels will also help us to keep our motoring heritage on the road without making a negative impact on the carbon footprint. Meanwhile the legislation will encourage e-fuel manufacturers to provide e-fuel on a larger scale, which should lead to better availability and, we hope, lower prices.’
While the regulations apply to the EU experts here think the uptake of synthetic fuels will benefit classics in the UK too. Some events have already trialled
