An EU ruling preventing the ban of internal combustion engines (ICEs) using e-fuels from 2035 has been welcomed by a host of car manufacturers exploring the prospective tech, but labelled as a stalling technique by environmental groups.

Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) and Porsche dubbed the move good news, saying it provided clarity for planning and meant several types of car could be offered, instead of just electric vehicles.

The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) argued it was a “stalling technique” though, and simply a move to “save the the internal combustion engine and to create a future for it,” given it will allow car makers to keep producing the same models of cars.

The EU had been expected to implement an umbrella ban on the sale of ICE cars from 2035, but pressure from Germany and Italy saw it instead pass a law requiring new cars to be net-zero in terms of carbon emissions.

This means cars running on e-fuels, which are said to be carbon neutral since captured emissions are used in the manufacturing process, will be allowed.

Large-scale production of synthetic fuel is yet to begin, however, with firms still exploring the prospective tech, which also uses hydrogen – only classed as green if the electricity used to produce it is clean.

“The good news for us as a company is that on top of electric cars, we’ll also be able to go on with our internal combustion engines ones, » Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) boss Benedetto Vigna commented

« This decision is very interesting for us because it allows ICEs to go beyond 2036.”

“We don’t want to tell clients which car to use. We want to make three kinds of propulsion available for them — hybrid, electric and ICE — and they will choose.”

Economist and German government advisor Veronika Grimm warned the move could make it « very difficult for politicians to pursue resolute climate policy” in the future though.

« People could continue to buy combustion cars in the hope of cheap e-fuels, » she said, adding falling prices were unlikely.

British manufacturers McLaren and Aston Martin are understood to be developing e-fuels too, though the UK has already committed to a ban on fossil-fuel-powered cars from 2030.

The U-turn by Brussels has prompted calls for the UK to rethink this ban though, with MP Iain Duncan Smith dubbing it « simply not achieveable ».

“Britain is in a desperate struggle to keep its car industry, and if we insist on phasing petrol and diesel out well before anyone else, we will find it harder to attract investment,” former conservative cabinet minister John Redwood added.

Many manufacturers have committed to rolling out electric cars in the coming years, but can now plan more clearly, a Volkswagen Group (XETRA:VOW) spokesperson pointed out.

“The agreement gives manufacturers and, above all, consumers a clear perspective for planning,” they said, “we see e-fuels as a useful addition to the existing fleet of combustion engines and for special applications”.

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