The European Union’s decision in June to ban on selling new cars and diesel and gasoline-powered trucks from 2035 have resonated around the world. The bloc’s environment ministers agreed to the ban after members of the European Parliament voted in favor of it and in doing so appeared to have passed the death sentence for internal combustion engines.
“Goodbye gasoline” is the typical headline of obvious headlines, while green lobbying groups can’t hide their glee. Julia Poliscanova, senior director of vehicles and e-mobility at Transport and the Environment, summed up the prevailing mood when she said: “The end of the internal combustion engine is great news for gas. Queen”.
In the race to decarbonize the auto industry, it seems the path to widespread electrification is clearer than ever. Or is it? Because at the same time the EU is making a landmark decision – in a move less widely reported – it is also choosing to give carmakers until 2026 to demonstrate that ‘ Synthetic e-fuels could be a CO2 neutral option for vehicles. with internal combustion engine.
Germany suggested this electronic fuel (electronic fuel) forewarned and it has been welcomed by many in the industry, including the European Automobile Suppliers Association, CLEPA. Its general secretary, Sigrid de Vries, said: “We have long argued in favor of an open technology approach, with a smart and sensible combination. tram and measure use of alternatives involving advanced internal combustion engine technology. “
Also noting this development is Professor Jamie Turner, a longtime e-fuel advocate of the Clean Combustion Research Center at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Previously, he was the director of gasoline engine technology and research at Jaguar Land Rover, as well as chief engineer, powertrain research at Jaguar Land Rover. Lotus flower.
Professor Turner says the lawmakers’ decision is probably the last chance for internal combustion engines in Europe. “But it’s an opportunity,” he told Auto Express. “Let’s face it, it’s a big shift from their position, which is ‘electrifying everything’.
“I wonder if they will eventually accept the fact that we don’t have the resources to do electrification,” he continued. “You don’t have to go too deep into it to know that they can’t mass electrify at the rate they want.”
Professor Turner’s position is rooted in a simple belief. “The problem we have with transportation right now is not the internal combustion engine. The point is we run it on fossil fuels,” he said.
So, what are e-fuels and how do they provide solutions? In the purest sense, e-fuel is produced with the help of electricity from renewable energy sources, water and CO2 from the air. They are incorporated into a process that produces a chemical energy carrier – methanol, at its simplest. And this, in turn, is made into a fuel that can be used to power current internal combustion engine vehicles.
“When you burn it, CO2 comes out of the exhaust,” explains Professor Turner. “But since this is a closed cycle CO2 is taken out into the atmosphere for fuel, there is no real increase in atmospheric CO2.”
Despite the simple reasoning behind e-fuels, creating them would be very expensive, with new manufacturing plants required all over the world. But Professor Turner said: “If you go the electric route, you have to change all the vehicles and all the infrastructure. These are two big problems and you have to do them at the same time. If you go the e-fuel route, you just have to change the infrastructure.”
The first hurdle for e-fuel is political. According to Professor Turner: “There is an agenda from all different kinds of people who want to see [ICE] the engine is dead, and there is no good reason to do it, as we can meet all the emission regulations. “
The second obstacle is science, specifically efficiency – or the lack of it. With e-fuel, about 15% of the renewable energy harvested is turned into useful work in cars. On EV, it’s about 60-70%.
But Professor Turner insists that doesn’t matter, because the world has a huge excess of energy. He told us: “To power the entire European shipping fleet, you need about 0.25 out of one percent of the Sahara in terms of process-powered, electrolytic photovoltaic cells. water, CO2 extraction, etc”.
There are other factors in favor of e-fuel. The first is the belief among many experts that they are a necessity in the aviation industry. There is an argument that if we can build factories to make e-fuels for airplanes, then using the accumulated knowledge to produce them for other means of transport is not possible. must be a giant leap.
The second is the perception that Europe is a country going out on the political push for mass electrification. There has not been such a concerted effort elsewhere, especially in the developing world, meaning that internal combustion engines will still be built for some time. So it makes perfect sense to investigate whether e-fuel is practical. So, where can we expect to be before the EU deadline of 2026? Professor Turner said: “I think we will prove that we can do it [create e-fuels] at the scientific and technical level. But since it’s going to be expensive, those who don’t want it to happen will point to the cost and say we won’t do it – unless the Saudis decide to do it, for example – fuel. . They can afford to do that.
“Imagine a scenario where Saudi Arabia develops this technology and starts shipping tankers full of fuel to Europe and does a PR campaign saying: ‘The fuel we transport gives you no carbon impact, but you have to electrify anyway’. Sooner or later the man on the street will think: Wait a minute.
“Dieselgate actually triggered the political view that we have to get rid of the internal combustion engine. It fits with the political agenda that ordinary people think internal combustion engines must run on fossil fuels. But it is not true.”
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