Refueling: Will E20 fuel now come after the agreement on combustion engines?

After the German-French push against the end of combustion engines, Transport Minister Steffen Bilger is campaigning for fuel with a higher proportion of biofuels.

“I am currently working with my French counterpart to ensure that we increase the admixture of biofuels,” said the CDU politician to 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 names E5 and E10 indicate the maximum proportion of bioethanol in the 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."

Use with many vehicles “safely possible”

E20 is not completely new. According to the ADAC, the fuel is already being tested. “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.

Controversial added value

However, the benefits of E20 for the environment are controversial: The so-called biofuels are considered to be more climate-friendly because plant sources are largely used in their production. However, the positive effect on the climate is sometimes considered manageable.

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.