Porsche E-Fuel synthetic gasoline is as clean as an electric vehicle, director says

It’s pretty clear: electric cars are the darling of the auto industry, and that probably won’t change without some incredible technological advancement. Porsche is also on board the EV train, but the German sports car and luxury brand actually have an incredibly cooler project on their hands, at least if you ask me: synthetic fuel. According to Frank Walliser, vice president of Porsche Motorsport and GT Cars, this fuel will make a traditional car just as emissions-free as an EV. A bold statement, without a doubt.

Evo reported last Wednesday of Walliser’s comments during the the debut of the new 911 GT3 on E-Fuel, when the executive explained how they calculate the emissions associated with fuel. We like to think of EVs as completely guilt-free, but the real story is that there are emissions from electric cars long before they hit the road.

“Synthetic fuel is cleaner and there is no by-product and when we start full production we expect an 85 percent CO2 reduction,” Walliser said. He added that it was important to consider the “wheel-to-well” emission measurement when talking about electric vehicles or electric fuel and said: “This will be the same level of CO2 produced in manufacturing and use of an electric vehicle. “

As for its operation, a plant in southern Chile will implement a proprietary methanol-gasoline process supplied under license by Exxon Mobil. The electrolysers will split the water into hydrogen and oxygen, and the CO2 will be filtered out of the air and treated with the hydrogen to create synthetic methanol. Then the secret work of methanol in gasoline kicks in. Porsche’s initial bet on carbon neutral gasoline involved an investment of $ 24 million.

Porsche first announced its partnership with Siemens Energy last December to start production of synthetic fuel. The company says its creation works in everything from Latest generation Porsche 911 GT3 to a classic 911 from decades ago. While the company doesn’t view this as a replacement for battery-powered electric cars (at least not yet), Porsche said in December, and reiterated at Roadshow today in a statement, this electric fuel can be a very practical addition to industry. work in electrification. “Electric mobility remains the top priority at Porsche,” said a spokesperson. “Electric fuels are a complement to electrification at Porsche, not a rival.”

In 2022, Porsche will begin fuel testing with some 34,000 gallons of electric fuel created. We could see 145 million gallons made by 2026, if all goes according to plan.