15 years ago there was great excitement when E10 fuel came to gas stations. If Transport Minister Bilger has his way, E20 fuel could soon be available. It's already being tested.
Augsburg/Berlin. Around 15 years after the nationwide introduction of E10 fuel, the next step to E20 could soon come - at least if Transport Minister Steffen Bilger has his way. “I am currently working with my French counterpart to ensure that we increase the admixture of biofuels,” the Christian Democrat told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” when asked how he wanted to take climate protection into account instead. “For example, there would be E20 at the gas pumps.” The designations E5 and E10 indicate the maximum proportion of bioethanol in gasoline. E20 would correspond to a maximum mixing rate of 20 percent.
Bilger's initiative is related to the recent German-French push against a strict phase-out of combustion engines by 2035. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) summarized the agreement with Paris as follows: "The phase-out of combustion engines will then be history."
E20 is already being tested
E20 is not completely new. According to previous information from the ADAC, the fuel is already being tested in Mannheim. “However, the fuel with an admixture of up to 20 percent bioethanol has so far only been tested as part of a closed fleet test,” the automobile club said in the summer. According to the ADAC, the prerequisite for drivers being able to fill up with gasoline containing up to 20 percent bioethanol (Super E20) is an adjustment to the quality standard for gasoline fuels (DIN EN 228), which currently only allows an ethanol content of a maximum of 10 percent.
According to the AvD automobile club, drivers do not have to fear for their vehicle when using E20. “For vehicles that have already been approved by the manufacturer as E10-compatible without restrictions and have modern fuel systems, the use of E20 is also safely possible from a technical point of view,” it said in a statement in the spring.
Germany has long been in favor of easing combustion engines
Representatives of the EU states and the European Parliament agreed in 2022 that new cars in the EU would no longer be allowed to emit climate-damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) during operation from 2035. Otherwise you may face fines. The EU Commission proposed in December that cars with combustion engines should continue to be registered. The European Parliament and the EU states are currently discussing this. The plan will not come into effect without their consent.
Germany and the car industry had long campaigned for a softening of the decision to phase out combustion engines. Berlin and Paris have now agreed on joint proposals for the future of combustion engines and electric cars. They would mean that the auto industry would be able to sell new combustion engines and hybrid vehicles even after 2035 without the threat of fines. The agreement could enable a majority in the Council of EU states.
Bilger called the combustion ban in its current form a mistake. “The federal government is delivering what it promised: a correction of the previous course and more openness to technology,” he said, according to a statement from his ministry. “Even after 2035, vehicles with combustion engines will be able to be registered and used if they use renewable fuels. Renewable fuels can continue to make an important contribution to climate protection in the future.”
Shared response in the auto industry
Germany's largest car manufacturer Volkswagen called the joint position of Germany and France a strong signal for Europe and its ability to act. “The proposal from Berlin and Paris is a great achievement,” said a spokesman for the VW Group. “France and Germany are proposing some sensible flexibilities in CO2 fleet regulation.”
The President of the VDA industry association, Hildegard Müller, criticized the fact that the Franco-German agreement still falls short of the necessary adjustments in relevant points. “There is therefore a need for further discussion and adjustment in the negotiations in the Council and in Parliament,” she said, according to the association’s statement. As an example, Müller cited “the specific characteristics of the commercial vehicle sector”, which were neither taken into account by the EU Commission nor in the German-French paper.
Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Olaf Lies (SPD), who sits on the VW supervisory board, assured Deutschlandfunk that no one had any doubts that the path led to e-mobility. But the automotive industry needs to earn money to finance the transformation. There is also a need for employment stability.
Bilger sees a need to catch up in other countries when it comes to the charging network
According to Bilger, charging options for electric cars are not the best everywhere in Europe. “Not everyone has a charging facility at home or at work,” said the minister. "We are very well positioned in Germany with our public charging network. But other countries in Europe, to which the ban on combustion engines will also apply, still have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to expanding their charging infrastructure." In many countries around the world, the switch to electric cars will take longer, but German car manufacturers should also export there in the future.
