Researchers criticize German plans to use biofuels and e-fuels in road transport

According to a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (Fraunhofer ISI), the use of synthetic fuels, also known as e-fuels, is unsuitable for road transport in the medium to long term. The authors of the study are critical of the German government's view that e-fuels will play an important role in achieving climate neutrality in transport.According to the study, there are many reasons against their use in passenger cars and trucks.

Germany's plans to use e-fuels in transport

The German government's climate protection modernization package, released at the end of March, assigns an important role in decarbonizing transport to climate-friendly fuels, or so-called e-fuels. The term e-fuels usually refers to synthetic fuels made from biomass or using electricity from renewable energy sources.

The use of e-fuels in road transport has been debated in Germany for several months, as it would allow cars with internal combustion engines to continue operating in a climate-neutral way, even though their sale was due to be banned after 2035. The introduction of a complete ban on internal combustion engines was blocked by the German governing party FDP. These vehicles will therefore still be available for purchase after 2035, provided they run on climate-neutral synthetic fuels.