Electrification may be the big ticket and the way forward, but Porsche isn’t abandoning the combustion engine despite the move towards better sustainability. Rather, it’s looking at the development of synthetic fuels, known as eFuels, to make internal combustion engines more eco-friendly as they continue to provide large-scale mobility.
The automaker says it is seeking partners to co-develop these eFuels, which are produced from CO2 and hydrogen using renewable energy. In terms of their basic properties, these are no different from kerosene, diesel or petrol processed from crude oil, but would be more climate-neutral fuels.
The company believes in the approach, and says it is looking to build eFuel pilot plants to show that the entire process chain works and can be industrialised. However, it doesn’t want to do it alone. “Porsche wants to help shape this chain, but at the same time, doesn’t want to define it down to the smallest detail alone,” said Porsche R&D boss Michael Steiner.
The company said it wants to be involved in their development to ensure they are suitable for high-performance engines and to avoid problems like those encountered with the introduction of E10 petrol. “When E10 came onto the market, the blend had some disadvantages. It must be different this time, it must have advantages,” he stated.
The company believes that electrification alone isn’t enough to push things along at the pace required to reach its goals. “With electricity alone, you can’t move forward fast enough. Electric mobility is an exciting and convincing technology but, taken on its own, it is taking us towards our sustainability targets at a slower pace than we would like,” Steiner explained.
He said that there is still life – and validity – in the combustion engine. While the automaker plans for half of all its vehicles sold to be electric by 2025, the existing fleet of its non-electric vehicles is large, and is likely to remain so for a good while. “Our cars are driven for a very, very long time, and while our hybrid vehicles are powered electrically for short distances, they rely on their combustion engines over longer distances,” he said.
Steiner added that the automaker is not thinking of focusing only on hybrids and electric vehicles, and will continue to offer the combustion engine in its product lineup. “We are convinced that these three drive technologies will survive on the market in the medium term,” he said.
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Good for marketing just that their volume is quite low
It’s a good step to eliminate the fracking and pumping from the ground. However still need to think how to eliminate the hot air coming out of the tailpipe not just another fuel to burn and release into our atmosphere/environment. Also the efficiency of not using 70% of the fuel just to heat the engine only 30% energy to push the car. EV still more efficient.
However still need to think how to eliminate the hot air coming out of the chimney of the power station not just another fuel to burn and release into our atmosphere/environment. Also the efficiency of not using 70% of the fuel just to heat the steam boiler of the power station only 30% energy to push the turbine & generator. EV is still less efficient because of losses during power distribution over the overland power lines.
EV can charge via renewable sources like solar panel, hydro and wind without burn anything releasing anything. Tons and thousands of study already proven again and again even if EV is using the DIRTIEST coal power plant. The whole life time of the EV emission still massively lower than a convention ICE whatever they burning.
“EV can charge via renewable sources like solar panel, hydro and wind without burn anything releasing anything”
If there are no renewable sources like solar panel, hydro and wind, EV cannot be charged with it.
Therefore EV emissions are still massively higher than a convention ICE whatever they burning.
Any non-organic synthetics use plasticiser which becomes carcinogenic when burnt. Germany is heading towards No1 lung cancer nation.
“which are produced from CO2 and hydrogen”
Where do you read “plasticiser”?
How about synthesizing Methane from trash decomposition especially from landfills?
In Europe there are no new landfills anymore. New landfills are forbidden by EU law. They have some trash decomposition plants, which are used for combined electricity generation and heat distribution (Europe is a cold continent, so they use heaters in winter). Anyway, the generated electricity is sufficient for the decomposition plant and a few hundred households only. The main goal is to get rid of the waste, after processing it is used as fertilizer.