Can synthetic fuels (e-fuel) be considered as CO2 neutral energy? This is the subject of the current debate in Europe, but the fact remains that several manufacturers are working on these e-fuels supposed to “save” the heat engine after 2035. But in fact, is this really the future? or will it be a (small) alternative to the electric car?
We’ve been talking about synthetic fuel for a while now on Frandroid, and it’s also been a while since this energy has aroused our curiosity, for various reasons. As you know, by 2035, normally, sales of new thermal and hybrid cars will be prohibited.
The only alternative will therefore be the electric car, but also all carbon neutral energies, such as hydrogen. Except that for a few weeks now, some member countries of the European Union have found the text too strict, like Germany, which would like to integrate synthetic fuels as a carbon-neutral energy and thus “save” the engine. thermal in Europe after 2035.
Remember that there is above all an economic stake for Germany, whose automobile industry is now essentially based on the production of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars.
Synthetic fuel, what is it?
So let’s start at the beginning, what is e-fuel, also called “synthetic fuel”? These are artificially produced fuels through the use of ” Power-to-X from a common base: water. Thanks to a chemical process of electrolysis triggered by the use of electricity generated from renewable sources (if not, there would be no environmental benefits), the water is split into oxygen and green hydrogen.
Hydrogen, thanks to the process Fischer–Tropsch (which consists of involving the reduction by heterogeneous catalysis of carbon monoxide by hydrogen in order to convert them into hydrocarbons) is combined with CO2 taken from the environment or stored using carbon capture technology, thus creating a gas which, depending on the process of chemical synthesis and subsequent refining, is transformed into e-fuel.
E-fuels are therefore produced without petroleum or biomass, but from CO2 and low-carbon electricity. And the notion of low-carbon electricity is very important.
Can all thermal cars be equipped with it?
The answer is yes, and without the addition of a box as may be the case for ethanol for example. Even better, the chemical specificity of e-fuels can even be superior to that of today’s diesel and unleaded. These fuels being synthetic, you can put “whatever you want” in them, namely elements that burn perfectly in an engine and with good energy efficiency.
On the other hand, to say that e-fuel makes it possible to reduce polluting emissions at the exhaust, such as those of nitrogen oxides (NOx) or fine particles, it’s totally wrong. The interest of synthetic fuel, is to reduce polluting emissions during the manufacturing process. But at the exhaust, we still have CO2 which is emitted into the atmosphere after combustion in the engine.
For example, synthetic fuel could make current thermal models roughly climate-neutral through upstream capture of CO2CO2 which will then be used to produce synthetic fuel again, which will be emitted by the exhaust pipe following combustion by the engine, and so on.
We therefore come back to our remark in the previous section: the interest of e-fuel, is that it is produced from low-carbon electricity. And it is precisely the case of Porsche that will interest us today, since it is one of the main players in research around synthetic fuels.
Porsche: an electric future, but…
Porsche is a brand for car enthusiasts and the Stuttgart firm has built its image essentially around a flagship product: the 911. And a Porsche 911 is above all a flat-six, a powerful six-cylinder flat (more and more) and sound (less and less) which is a delight for sports car enthusiasts. Porsche has announced it: the 911 will be the brand’s last model to go electric.
It must be said that it does not really need it, since despite the various taxes that apply to this type of vehicle in certain markets, more than 40,000 911 cars found takers worldwide last yearthe manufacturer’s third sale behind the Cayenne and Macan, but ahead of the Taycan electric sedan!
However, Porsche’s ambitions in terms of electrification are extremely high for a manufacturer that has built its reputation on the sportiness of its models.
Today, the range includes several hybrid models, and a single electric car with the Taycan. Electrified cars also accounted for 75% of Porsche sales in France in 2022. In 2030, 80% of the Porsche range will be electricwith in particular the electric Macan, the electric 718 Boxster and Cayman or the electric Cayenne.
You will have understood it, for Porsche, the future looks electric, and synthetic fuels in fact seem destined for a role other than that of an alternative to electricity.
Why is Porsche so interested in synthetic fuels?
Porsche has just launched a pilot project with Siemens Energy to build a synthetic fuel production plant in Chile, which should produce up to 550 million liters of fuel by 2026. Initially, this fuel will only be used to supply the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in the Supercup, one of the many one-design championships organized by the manufacturer.
Why Chile? Because it is a particularly windy region and wind turbines provide 3.5 times more electricity there than if they were installed in Germany. This energy could also avoid being lost, because the low population density located nearby does not allow it to be used directly.
At the time of writing these lines, if a liter of this synthetic fuel were to be marketed, it would be around 10 dollars. As Barbara Frenkel, Porsche’s purchasing director, recently admitted “the fuel we make is far too expensive for us to use”while specifying that without state aid, these alternatives would have no future on a larger scale.
But precisely, is the future of this energy really destined for the large scale? The answer today is no, and even if Europe were to integrate synthetic fuels as a carbon-neutral energy, the future of this energy should be confined to a specific area. To give you a little idea, in the world, we consume 179,000 liters of fuel per second. To reach such a level with e-fuels, with the current means of generating electricity, it simply seems impossible.
In fact Porsche is interested in synthetic fuel essentially to allow those who find pleasure in driving and piloting thermal cars, those for whom the noise and the sensations of a flat-six will never be equaled by any artificial noise or the silence of the electric. It is also a way for Porsche to preserve its heritage, and to continue to bring iconic models to life.. The manufacturer’s argument is as follows: Porsche sells 90% of electric cars in 2035, it is not 10% of sales of thermal models that will harm the ecosystem, especially since these cars do not are certainly not required to travel more than a few thousand km per year.
Customers of this type of car are also, in general, rather wealthy, and will certainly not be against using their heat engine in good and proper form, even if a full tank must cost twice as much as a full tank of unleaded Today. Porsche, however, mentions around two euros per liter of e-fuel, excluding taxes, in 2030. By way of comparison, at the start of 2023, gasoline in France costs less than one euro per litre, excluding taxes.
And on the road then?
For once, let’s deviate from the rule at Frandroid and swap our usual electric cars for a thermal model… but with a full tank of synthetic fuel! The meeting was given on the highest circuit in Europe, at 2,300 meters above sea level, near Val-Thorens.
To show us the efficiency of this fuel, Porsche invited us to take the wheel of a Cayman GT4 RS, the perfect example of the pleasure car par excellence. On the menu, therefore, a flat six 4.0-liter atmospheric 500 hp and a 0 to 100 km / h shot in just 3.4 seconds.
On an ice track, needless to say, we couldn’t exploit even 10% of the car’s inclinations, even with studded tyres. But it is clear that the perfect balance of the GT4 RS allows you to have fun and indulge in the joys of sliding.
Yes, but the synthetic fuel in all this? To be quite frank, difficult to say under these conditions if the mechanical behavior changes, even if, a priori, no. The engine takes almost 9,000 rpm, as always, and howls in our ears as we approach the red zone. Exhilarating.
In reality, this exercise is a pretext for Porsche to talk about synthetic fuels. And it is clear that indeed, if they were to be authorized in Europe, this would be a great way to keep those mechanical works of art spinningfor the few hundred kilometers that they travel on average during a year, for recreational use.
The problems of synthetic fuel
But the arrival of synthetic fuel and the authorization to sell new cars using this fuel after 2035 poses several problems. The first is social. It is easy to imagine that electric cars will be reserved for the vast majority of the European population, for the needs of utility transport. While thermal cars will then be reserved for the wealthiest, who will have the right to make noise, to continue to pollute (let’s not forget fine particles) with a view to having fun. Of course, this will be a tiny minority, which will represent a very small part of the car fleet.
The other problem is the fact that synthetic fuel requires the use of renewable energies, whereas these will be required to meet the most basic needs of the world’s population. We find here the same problem as with hydrogen cars.
Finally, will the development of these synthetic fuels not eat away at part of the research and development budget of car manufacturers, who could use it to make electric cars more efficient?
At any rate, the future seems to be electricand Porsche is well aware of this with a range made up of 80% of 100% electric cars within seven years.
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