- Porsche said Tuesday that a pilot plant in Chile started production of the alternative fuel, as it aims to produce millions of gallons by mid-decade.
- Officials say e-fuels can act like gasoline, allowing vehicle owners a more environmentally friendly way to drive.
The German automaker, owned by Volkswagen, said Tuesday that a pilot plant in Chile started commercial production of the alternative fuel. By mid-decade, Porsche plans to produce millions of gallons of the e-fuel. Porsche expects to use the fuel in motorsports initially producing climate-neutral centre replace uses in the future. Ultimately, the plan is for the power to be sold to oil companies and others for consumer distribution.
E-fuels are synthetic methanol produced by a complex process using water, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Companies say they enable the nearly CO2-neutral operation of gas-powered engines. Vehicles would still need to use oil to lubricate the engine. In the pilot phase, Porsche expects to produce around 130,000 litres (34,342 U.S. gallons) of the e-fuel. Plans are to expand that to about 55 million litres (14.5 million U.S. gallons) by mid-decade and around 550 million litres (145.3 million U.S. gallons) roughly two years later.