With The Increase In Demand For Renewable Fuels And Eco-Friendly Vehicles, Major Brands Seek Alternative Energy Sources, Including Synthetic Gasoline

Will Synthetic Gasoline Be the Future of Cars? Discover the Brands Investing in the Sector

Due to the global fossil fuel crisis, with high prices, significant pollution, and the condition of being non-renewable, vehicle manufacturers have been seeking other means of energy generation for their products. In addition to electric cars, which can be recharged at home, there is also investment in research for producing synthetic gasoline.

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The high cost of producing electric cars and the difficulty of disposing of batteries are still challenging factors for their full adoption in the market. Even so, they have already become a new priority for major manufacturing brands in various countries around the world.

However, companies like BMW and Porsche have declared that they will not submit their entire fleet to electric mode, as is the goal for the vast majority for the next decade. Thus, the German automakers are investing in a new project to avoid being banned in Europe – the production of synthetic gasoline.

“These brands will sell these models in European countries that will not move to 100% electrification, like some in the Eastern part of the continent,” explains Everton Lopes, combustion energy mentor at SAE Brazil. In the United States, only a few states – such as California and Washington – have announced that they will ban combustion vehicles.

Combustion from e-Fuel

Nevertheless, Porsche and BMW are seeking ways to innovate the future and the use of combustion cars. To that end, the automakers intend to use e-Fuel, synthetic gasoline that will be adopted by Formula 1 starting in 2025.

“This concept is not new, but it has gained momentum recently,” explains Lopes. “It consists of making fuel from a chemical reaction, eliminating the need for oil.”

According to the mentor, synthetic gasoline will form the basis of energy generation for the new cars, alongside electricity. Additionally, the method also allows for the production of other fossil fuels, such as diesel and gas.

How Synthetic Gasoline is Produced

A chemical reaction between hydrogen and carbon dioxide is necessary for synthetic gasoline to be produced.  “The result is methanol, which is converted into gasoline,” explains the Public Relations and Communication Manager at Porsche Brazil, Leandro Rodrigues Sabes.

Synthetic gasoline retains the same properties as gasoline derived from oil, allowing existing combustion engine vehicles to operate with it without needing any adaptations.

“Since CO2 is used in the reaction that generates synthetic gasoline, the fuel has a zero carbon footprint,” explains the SAE specialist. “The carbon dioxide emitted in the car’s exhaust is compensated in the production process.”

However, despite the advantages, synthetic gasoline has a pollution level quite similar to that of traditional gasoline. Therefore, the use of this fuel may face resistance from countries seeking to reduce emissions.

Check out the explanatory video below on how synthetic fuel works and what it is: