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

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

“At the moment, I am working with my French counterpart for us to increase the admixture of biofuels,” said the CDU politician of the “Augsburger Allgemeine” on the question of how he wanted to take climate protection into account instead. “There would be, for example, E20 at the pumps.” The designations E5 and E10 indicate the maximum proportion of bioethanol in petrol. E20 would correspond to a maximum admixture quota of 20 percent.

Bilger’s initiative is linked to the recent Franco-German push against a strict diesel phase-out by 2035. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) had summarized the agreement with Paris as follows: “The combustion engine off is then history.”

E20 is not new. The fuel is already tested according to the ADAC. “However, the fuel with an up to 20 percent bioethanol admixture is to be tested so far only as part of a closed fleet test,” the automobile club said in the summer.

The prerequisite for motorists to be able to fill up with gasoline with up to 20 percent bioethanol admixture (Super E20) is an adaptation of the quality standard for petrol (DIN EN 228), which currently only allows an ethanol content of a maximum of ten percent, according to the ADAC.

According to the automobile club AvD, motorists 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 safe from a technical point of view,” it said in a statement in spring.

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

Representatives of the EU member states and the European Parliament had agreed in 2022 that new cars in the EU should no longer emit climate-damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) in operation from 2035. Otherwise, there is a risk of fines. The EU Commission had proposed in December, more cars with combustion engine new. The European Parliament and the EU member states are currently discussing this. Without their approval, the plan will not enter into force.

Germany and the car industry had long campaigned for a softening of the actually agreed-upon combustion-off. Berlin and Paris have now agreed on joint proposals for the future of combustion engines and electric cars. They would lead to the car industry being allowed 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 the EU states.