Synthetic fuels could extend life of petrol cars

Some European car manufacturers are betting on synthetic liquid fuels to keep internal combustion engines in the race longer, but industry experts warn this is no silver bullet.

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Synthetic fuels – which

Porsche claims can be completely carbon neutral – could power internal-combustion cars well into the next decade.

The German sports manufacturer has committed to a new synthetic fuel plant in Chile which will run on wind power, countering criticism that the energy it takes to manufacture synthetic fuels negates its advantages.

As with BMW, which made a similar investment through start-up Prometheus Fuels last year, Porsche says carbon-neutral synthetic fuel will complement the electric vehicle strategy by ensuring cars already on the road are powered by a smaller carbon footprint.

In theory, synthetic fuels could eventually be a direct replacement for petrol and diesel, but in current form, they need to be mixed in with fossil fuels, in much the same way as ethanol is.

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Carbon-neutral synthetic fuels could support petrol engines into the next decade

Although burning synthetic fuels will produce carbon emissions, these should be cancelled out by harvesting that carbon to produce more synthetic fuel.

But the cost of producing synthetic fuels – expected, at least initially, to be between $4.50-$7.50 per litre – is suggested by motoring analysts as a reason to temper excitement.

Synthetic fuels are commonly made by combining carbon dioxide from the environment with hydrogen from water in an expensive, energy-intensive process with inefficient yield ratios.

International Council of Clean Transportation research shows 48 per cent of energy used in production of synthetic fuels is lost in the conversion process, with 70 per cent of energy in the fuel itself lost during combustion in the engine – a 16 per cent total efficiency.

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The high cost of synthetic fuels may be a challenge to uptake

In contrast, most of the energy used by electric vehicles powers the wheels with 10 per cent lost to charging and 20 per cent by the motor, for a total efficiency of 70 per cent.

The energy costs of synthetic fuel production combined with transport and expensive equipment could diminish their value proposition, but Porsche Vice-President, Dr Frank Walliser, says the marque’s Chilean plant – powered by a wind turbine – as well as lower taxes and charges could be a game changer.

Dr Walliser says as fossil fuels in Europe become more expensive with the introduction of carbon pricing and energy taxes, Porsche’s synthetic fuel will offer even more value.

The Chilean plant is scheduled to open in mid-2022 with Porsche to use the 130,000 litres of synthetic fuel expected to be produced in the first six months for its motorsport activities.

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