At some Shell petrol stations in Germany, you will be able to fill up with more climate-friendly premium petrol in the future. The eco-fuel called Blue Gasoline, developed jointly with Bosch and Volkswagen, consists of 33 percent renewable components, which should ensure CO₂ savings of at least 20 percent from the source to the bike. The price at the petrol pump should “in perspective” be in the range of premium fuels such as Shell V-Power.
The added proportions are not e-fuel, i.e. synthetic fuel made from solar power, water and CO₂, but ethanol and naphtha, which is obtained from tall oil, a waste product of paper production. Alternatively, other residual and waste materials can also serve as a starting point.
“On the way to climate-friendly mobility, we must not let any technical possibilities go unused, from electromobility to renewable fuels. Every little bit of CO₂ that we save can help us achieve our climate goals, ”says Dr. Uwe Gackstatter, head of the drive division at Bosch.
Better than the norm
Blue Gasoline complies with the EN 228 / E10 standard and can therefore not only be sold via the existing petrol station network, but can also be used in all new and existing vehicles that are approved for operation with Super 95 E10 petrol. Particularly high-quality additives also ensure a high level of engine cleanliness and corrosion protection.
In addition to being climate-friendly, Blue Gasoline offers the advantage of particularly high storage stability, which, in Gackstatter’s opinion, makes the eco-fuel particularly suitable for use in plug-in hybrid vehicles: “With the expansion of the charging infrastructure and larger batteries, these will be predominantly operated electrically in the future, so that the Fuel can remain in the fuel tank for long periods of time. “
Initially, Bosch will bring the Blue Gasoline to its factory filling stations with immediate effect, where the range of conventional “Super 95 E10” petrol will gradually be phased out. Then the new eco-fuel will also be offered at conventional petrol stations.
With the R33 diesel “Blue Diesel”, the three companies already have a corresponding diesel fuel in their range, some of which is made from old cooking oil. Bosch has been offering R33 at its factory filling stations as the only diesel fuel available for company cars and internal delivery vehicles since the end of 2018. R33 is currently also offered at eight regular petrol stations of different brands in Germany.
Renewable fuels are not a substitute for electromobility
For Bosch, renewable, CO₂-reduced or CO₂-neutral fuels are not a substitute for electromobility, but a supplement. The company sees them as fundamentally useful for all modes of transport, but especially for those for whom there is still no clear and economical electrification path. In addition to ships and airplanes, these are primarily heavy-duty transports and existing vehicles, but also all the vehicles that will still be on the roads around the world today and in the coming decades with combustion engines or hybrid drives.