Even if synthetic fuels are likely to be considered climate neutral energy by the EU and therefore allowed in Europe after 2035, the fact remains that internal combustion engines will disappear, at least in our regular cars.

And the manufacturers understood this well, and most of them seem to have already turned the thermals page. Jaguar will say goodbye to combustion from 2025, while Renault, Volvo, Ford Europe, Bentley and Rolls-Royce will go by 2030.

Forced electrification

After seven years, most (if not all) Stellantis brands will abandon gasoline and diesel engines. Audi will start producing electric cars only from 2026, and from 2033 it will no longer sell thermal cars in Europe. At the moment, Mercedes and BMW are following a slightly more cautious policy, but the electrification of their model range is working well.

Volkswagen, Skoda, Cupra and Seat have expressed their desire to go electric, launching many new zero-emission models over the next few years. Kia and Hyundai will sell only electric cars on the Old Continent from 2035.

Manufacturers have already turned the page

According to Luca de Meo, the boss of the Renault group, manufacturers have clearly abandoned the development of new thermal engines: “I don’t think that anyone in Europe (…) is developing a completely new engine. No one in Europe is developing a new heat engine. All money goes to electricity or hydrogen”.

Some of the heat engines available today will be phased out in the coming years, while others will need to be upgraded to meet Euro 7 standards. Some models will also disappear with this new standard, as the costs of upgrading Euro 7 engines will be too high. According to several observers, the entrance fee for some cars could rise from 3,000 to 4,000 euros.

Even if synthetic fuels have a slightly more certain future than fossil fuels, for Luca de Meo it is above all “such a niche solution”but admitted that it was represented “opportunity”. However, given their cost and the energy required to produce even a liter of e-fuel, this decision should not reshuffle the cards in the energy transition that is about to begin.