E-fuels for engines in the EU
Listen to the story (British accent)
Luxury carmakers have weakened the European Union's (EU) plan to stop carbon dioxide emissions from new cars and vans by 2035.
The original plan was to ban cars with internal combustion engines (ICE) that use gas. However, there was a last-minute change to the rule that allows ICE cars to use e-fuels. E-fuels are synthetic oils made from air, water, and electricity.
Luxury carmakers like Porsche spent a lot of money developing e-fuels. They want to continue using internal combustion engines instead of making electric cars.
Using e-fuels instead of gasoline might decrease carbon dioxide emissions. However, e-fuels are expensive and require a lot of energy to make. There is another problem: E-fuels aren’t for sale yet, so people can’t buy them.
Some people are worried that allowing e-fuels will slow down the change to cleaner energy and cleaner cars.
The EU has to find a way to check if an ICE car is using e-fuel or normal fuel after 2035. One idea the EU suggests is to register cars or vans that only use clean fuel.
Vocabulary20 words
- Luxury
- very expensive and high quality
- Carmaker
- a company or business that makes cars
- Weaken
- to make something less strong or powerful; to make weak
- The European Union (EU)
- 27 countries in Europe that work closely together
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- a colorless gas formed during the combustion of any material containing carbon; a greenhouse gas
- Emissions
- gas, heat, or light that is released or sent out; often refers to pollution from burning fuel
- Van
- ?; a vehicle that’s bigger than a car, but smaller than a truck
- Ban
- to not allow; to stop; to forbid; prohibit;
- Internal combustion engine -
- Last-minute
- sudden; with very short notice; little warning; happening or done at the end of a period of time
- Allow
- permit; let; to give permission; OK
- E-fuel
- a fuel/liquid made from carbon dioxide (CO2) or carbon monoxide (CO) that is caught, and hydrogen (H) that comes from clean energy sources like wind, sun, and nuclear power
- Synthetic
- an artificial substance or material; not natural; not from nature; fake; simulated
- Electricity
- power; current; energy used to operate lights, TVs, etc.
- Develop
- to make into something more advanced; to improve; to grow something to become better
- Gasoline (gas)
- a liquid fuel used in engines; petrol
- Require
- need
- Worry
- to be/feel concerned or nervous; to be troubled; to think a lot about a negative situation
- Clean energy
- energy generated from renewable sources (wind, solar, water, etc.) without creating greenhouse gasses (CO2)
- Register
- to officially enter or record; to apply for; to sign up; to join
Discussion questions
- Do you think carmakers should invest more in developing electric cars or e-fuels? Is one technology better than the other? Why or why not?
- In your opinion, will the use of e-fuels will slow down the transition to cleaner energy and cars?
- What other solutions do you think the EU should consider to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars and vans?
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