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Future Porsche Cars to Run on eFuels, Motorsport Machines Included

So, for a little while now, we’ve had a fully-electric Porsche running around. But what if soon we’ll be treated to German machines that use some type of eFuel?
Siemens Haru Oni facility in Chile 1 photo
Photo: Siemens
Not that long ago, Porsche announced it is looking into carbon-neutral fuels as an alternative to existing ones, including electricity. It reasoned back then that “with electricity alone, you can't move forward fast enough” towards the goal of having a cleaner car fleet, and eFuels could be a solution.

The carmaker promised at the time to invest more in such an alternative, and here is the first beneficiary project: the Haru Oni, being run in Chile, South America, together with energy companies Siemens Energy, AME, ENAP, and ENEL.

Synthetic fuels are liquid fuels obtained from coal, natural gas, or biomass feedstocks, and they can be produced through a variety of methods. Haru Oni aims to make synthetic methanol, which is the basis for e-diesel, e-gasoline or e-kerosene. It will do so by harnessing wind power (powerful and constant wind is partially why Chile of all places was chosen for this task), taking CO2 out of the air, and combining it with hydrogen to create the miracle substance.

According to Porsche, this is the first project meant to deliver “the world’s first integrated, commercial, industrial-scale plant for making synthetic climate-neutral fuels.”

By 2022, 130,000 liters of eFuels will be produced, and that volume is set to increase to 550 million liters by 2026. Some of it will go to Porsche, who is the main “customer for the green fuel,” and who will use it for the cars developed by Porsche Motorsport, at the Porsche Experience Centers, and eventually in production cars.

“Electromobility is a top priority at Porsche. eFuels for cars are a worthwhile complement to that – if they’re produced in parts of the world where a surplus of sustainable energy is available,” said in a statement Porsche CEO Oliver Blume.

“We know exactly what fuel characteristics our engines need in order to operate with minimal impact on the climate. Our involvement in the world’s first commercial, integrated eFuels plant supports the development of the alternative fuels of the future.”

The carmaker did not say when we should expect the first results from the tests conducted in South America, nor when we’ll get to see a sports car powered by some type of eFuel.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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