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With increasing demand for renewable fuels and eco-friendly vehicles, major brands are looking to alternative forms of energy, including synthetic gasoline.

Written by Roberta Souza
Published 21/12/2021 às 08:19
gasoline, fuels, synthetic gasoline
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Will synthetic gasoline be the future of cars? discover the brands that are investing in the sector

Due to the global crisis of fossil fuels, with high prices, high pollution and the condition of not being renewable, vehicle manufacturers have sought other means of generating energy for their products. In addition to electric cars, rechargeable at plugs, there is also investment in research to manufacture synthetic gasoline.

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The high cost of producing electric cars and the difficulty of disposing of batteries are still factors that hinder their full adherence to the market. Even so, they have already become the new priority for major producing brands in several countries around the world.

However, companies like BMW and Porsche have declared that they will not subject the entire fleet to electric mode, as is already the goal of the vast majority for the next decade. With that, the Germans are investing in a new project to not be banned from Europe – the production of synthetic gasoline.

“These brands will sell these models in countries in Europe that do not go for 100% electrification, like some in the East of the continent”, explains Everton Lopes, mentor of combustion energy at SAE Brasil. 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

However, Porsche and BMW are looking for ways to innovate the future and use of combustion cars. For this, automakers intend to use e-Fuel, synthetic gasoline that will be adopted by formula 1 from 2025.

“This concept is not new, but it gained strength recently”, explains Lopes. “It consists of making fuel from a chemical reaction, dispensing with oil.”

According to the mentor, synthetic gasoline will form the basis of energy generation for new cars, along with electricity. In addition, the method also allows 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 required for synthetic gasoline to be produced. “The result is methanol, converted into gasoline”, explains Porsche do Brasil's Public Relations and Communication manager, Leandro Rodrigues Sabes.

Synthetic gasoline maintains the same properties as petroleum-derived gasoline, which makes it possible for existing cars with combustion engines to work with it without the need for 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 for in the production process.”

However, despite the advantages, synthetic gasoline presents a level of pollution very similar to that of traditional gasoline. Therefore, the use of this fuel may show resistance from countries that are seeking to reduce the emission of pollutants.

Check out an explanatory video below of how it works and what synthetic fuel is:

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Roberta Souza

Petroleum Engineer, postgraduate in Commissioning of Industrial Units, specialist in Industrial Corrosion. Get in touch to suggest an agenda, advertise job vacancies or advertise on our portal. We do not receive resumes

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