Renault informs Germany that thermal engines can no longer be saved and that the future belongs to electric and hydrogen vehicles.

According to Luca de Meo , CEO of Renault and President of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) , the Politico article reported that it is possible that Germany's efforts to save the future of combustion engines through synthetic fuels or e-fuels are too late.

De Meo also said that, at this stage, no manufacturer is developing new combustion engines in Europe anymore, because all the money is invested in battery or hydrogen technology.

There seems to be a war of interests that's about to break out

The European Commission 's proposal to ban the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines from 2035, including hybrids, is sometimes encountering obstacles. Not only are Germany and Italy defending their own interests, but many manufacturers are also beginning to speak out.

Recently, the CEO of Toyota , a company that has been at the forefront of developing hybrid cars, said that instead of focusing on electric cars, the company would focus on developing hydrogen cars . The CEO of Renault follows a similar line.

At a recent event, De Meo, the CEO of Renault, said automakers have already invested large sums in the development of electric and hydrogen vehicles , responding to EU plans. He also claimed that no one is currently developing new internal combustion engines in Europe.

Currently, Germany and its allies are still trying to convince the European Union to create a new legal category of gasoline-powered cars that could run on synthetic fuels in order to save combustion engines. Italy has also proposed the inclusion of biofuels , but this proposal has not yet received support unlike Germany's.

Luca de Meo said e-fuels were a limited solution

At the time the European proposal was presented, some manufacturers, such as Renault, supported postponing the end date for combustion engines . But now most manufacturers have made progress in their transition to electrifying Europe .

Many automakers have set dates to end production of non-electric vehicles. Jaguar will do so from 2025, while Renault, Volvo, Ford, Bentley and Rolls-Royce will follow by 2030. Mercedes-Benz and BMW may even do so sooner.

In fact, virtually all of Stellantis ' brands will have phased out gasoline and diesel engines within seven years.

Audi does not plan to launch new electric car models before 2026, but it intends to stop production of combustion cars by 2033. This strategy could also be followed by other brands of the group, such as than Volkswagen, Skoda, CUPRA and SEAT .

Kia and Hyundai won't start selling electric cars in Europe until 2035, five years after Genesis . This means that some currently available combustion engines will soon be phased out, while others will need to be updated to meet Euro 7 standards .

Synthetic fuels don't seem to offer much hope for the future of combustion engines, although e-fuels are seen as an opportunity by Renault's CEO. However, for this option to be viable, production of these fuels will need to increase significantly to ensure strong supply chains.

The CEO of Renault also points out that the production of these fuels should increase considerably to have strong supply chains. Ultimately, the automotive industry is moving into a post-combustion era , and the production of electric cars will become increasingly important in the coming years. This means that automakers will need to invest heavily in this technology to stay competitive in the market.