Automotive: Like F1, Porsche has big plans for Synthetic e-Fuels

Porsche was keen to enter F1 with Red Bull (before talks broke down) because F1 was going green with increased reliance on electrification of its cars, and its use of synthetic e-Fuels.

In a December 29th interview with Car Magazine, the head of Porsche, Oliver Blume, was asked for an update on Porsche’s Synthetic e-Fuels plant in Chile.

Synthetic fuel – called eFuel by Porsche – is created by splitting water into oxygen and green hydrogen, then combining CO2 with the green hydrogen to produce synthetic methanol, which is then converted into e-fuel, which can be used in regular combustion engines.

“As you know, sustainability plays a big role for us,” said Blume.

“In a lot of rankings, Porsche is positioned as the highest automotive company worldwide for sustainability and climate protection. It is a big responsibility, perhaps the biggest we have, for our generation and the future generations.

“Sometimes there is perceived to be a conflict between electromobility and synthetic fuels. But there isn’t a conflict for us – we have a very strong ramp-up curve for electromobility, while on the other side we think about the cars already existing in the world.

“There are 1.3 billion cars already out there. That is a strong, crazy number and we will have these cars on the road for the next 30 or 50 years in the market. This is not a discussion to stop the homologation of combustion engines cars in 2035.

“We will have all these cars still existing on our roads and we need a solution. And it’s not only the cars, but also for ships and airplanes.

“Therefore, we think there’s a responsibility to invest in synthetic fuels and produce them in regions in the world where sustainability is unlimited [like the pilot factory in Chile, above], then the discussion of efficiency doesn’t play a role.

“That is why we are fighting for synthetic fuels. Clearly, it will help the Porsche fleet for the future, and we are thinking only to mix a percentage of synthetic fuels with traditional combustion fuels. By 2040 or 2050 it will help to reduce our CO2 from a global perspective.”

Porsche’s e-fuel has performed well in tests, Porsche R&D chief Michael Steiner added. “We did a lot of testing on test benches and in cars. No issues at all, even in a GT3 RS on the racetrack. This is really fine.”

Porsche R&D chief Michael Steiner refuels a Porsche 911 with eFuel in Chile.

The fuel should be suitable for use in any engine currently using fossil fuel, either as e-fuel or a blend of fossil and synthetic. But the quantities that are currently produced amount to little more than a drop in the ocean compared to the number of barrels of oil pumped out of the ground today.

“The potential of e-fuels is huge,’ said Steiner. “There are currently more than 1.3 billion vehicles with combustion engines worldwide. Many of these will be on the roads for decades to come, and e-fuels offer the owners of existing cars a nearly carbon-neutral alternative.”……and the peace of mind to refuel anywhere in 5 minutes or less.

 

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