Synthetic e-fuel is the solution to emissions neutrality requirements but also remaining tendency to use the internal combustion engine.

The European Commission has outlined plans for member states to sell new cars equipped with internal combustion engines after 2035, provided that environmentally friendly synthetic electronic fuels (e-fuel) are used.

E-fuel is considered to be a solution to help machines using internal combustion engines still operate without polluting the environment, by using CO2 available in the air and regenerative energy sources.

The process of using an internal combustion engine will emit a large amount of CO2 and CO into the air. E-fuel uses this readily available CO2 and CO, combined with hydrogen collected from sustainable power sources such as wind, solar and nuclear, turning them into fuel for use in internal combustion engines.

In theory, e-fuel uses CO2 available in the air to make “gasoline” for the internal combustion engine, which during use will emit a similar amount of CO2. As a result, CO2 emissions from using e-fuel will be nearly neutral, or lower than using other fossil fuels.

The great idea behind e-fuel is that the whole world has been using fossil fuels for a long time, and internal combustion engines have become very popular, so creating e-fuel to keep internal combustion engines running would be more economical, rather than replacing internal combustion engines and all the facilities that accompanied with them.

The production and use of e-fuel has received much encouragement and also protest from experts and critics around the world. Supporters say e-fuel is an effective way to cut CO2 emissions of existing internal combustion engine vehicles and machinery, rather than replacing them with electric vehicles.

Critics insist the production of e-fuel is costly and energy-intensive. According to the journal Nature Climate Change in 2021, using e-fuel requires about five times more regenerative electricity than running an electric car.

Highly Innovative Fuels e-fuel plant in Chile, backed by Porsche. Photo: Porsche

Currently, e-fuel is not produced in large quantities. The first commercial e-fuel production plant opened in Chile in 2021, supported by Porsche, which aims to produce 550 million liters of e-fuel per year. Currently, the cost of producing e-fuel at the plant is about $54 per liter. Costs will be reduced if more e-fuel is produced. In addition, the e-fuel production plant in Norway is expected to operate in 2024, focusing on producing fuel for aviation.

Major automotive component suppliers in Germany such as Bosch, ZF and Mahle are members of the e-Fuel Alliance, an industry lobbying group. Besides, automakers such as Piech, Porsche and Mazda have expressed supportively for e-fuel. BMW has invested $12.5 million in e-fuel startup named Prometheus Fuels, while also investing billions USD in electric-battery technology.

Source: vnexpress.net