Synthetic fuel

Current e-fuel study will not please everyone

In the tank, e-fuels are indistinguishable from conventional fuel.

(Bild: Stephan Schätzl)

The debate about the sense and nonsense of synthetic fuel is a passionate one. Now a current meta-study is questioning the sense of these e-fuels in cars. However, it is based on the current status quo and does not look beyond Europe's borders.

The study conducted by the think tank Forum Ökologisch-Soziale Marktwirtschaft (FÖS) on behalf of Climate Alliance Germany concludes that e-fuels are not a viable alternative to the planned phase-out of the combustion engine due to their high costs, poor availability and inefficient use. The Climate Alliance calls for the focus to be placed on e-cars and local public transport.

Metastudy

A meta-study is a systematic review of all available knowledge in an area. To this end, the FÖS has brought together findings from the German Automobile Club (ADAC), the German Environment Ministry, the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (Fraunhofer ISI) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), among others.

E-fuels in the passenger car sector a "mirage"
According to the meta-study, even with high state subsidies, there will not be sufficient quantities of e-fuels available by 2035 to achieve the climate targets. "The meta-study proves it: Anyone who questions the European phase-out of combustion engines is misleading car buyers," says Stefanie Langkamp, Head of Policy at Klima-Allianz. E-fuels in the passenger car sector are a "mirage" and not an alternative to e-cars.

The study assumes that the number of passenger cars in Europe will be almost fully electrified by 2045, while vehicles powered by e-fuels will only play a marginal role. Critics consider this forecast to be too optimistic. In any case, e-fuels could electrify the combustion engine fleet, which will still be around for a long time, and thus make it climate-neutral. Even in countries where electrification is stagnating.

Efficiency of wind turbines underestimated
According to the meta-study, 150 onshore wind turbines could supply 240,000 e-cars with electricity, but only 37,500 combustion engines with e-fuels. "The same amount of electricity could therefore be used to power more than six times as many electric vehicles," explains Matthias Runkel, Head of Transport and Financial Policy at FÖS and author of the study.

This is correct as far as the ratio of energy requirements of electric vehicles and combustion engines is concerned. However, the study ignores the fact that wind turbines can generate electricity three times as effectively in regions of the world that are currently "fallow". In addition, regions could be used to generate energy that can only be used if the energy generated is converted into hydrogen or e-fuels for transportation. Power lines are not suitable for long distances.

However, the legal situation currently stands in the way: no matter how climate-neutral e-fuels may be, if they are imported from outside Europe, they are treated the same as fossil fuels.

E-fuels "indispensable" in aviation and shipping
There is one area in which the Climate Alliance Germany also considers e-fuels to be a good idea: According to them, the scarce e-fuel resources should be used for sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as aviation and shipping, because they are "indispensable" there.

E-fuel production still problematic
So far, e-fuels have only been produced in relatively small quantities. Porsche operates its own pilot plant in Chile with a maximum production volume of 130,000 liters per year. There, CO2 is to be extracted from the air and used for the production of e-fuels. The problem is that the extraction system was too susceptible to contamination and needs to be replaced. How long it will take to solve the problems permanently is questionable. In the meantime, the CO2 is being supplied.

Ban on combustion engines with exceptions for e-fuels
The EU had decided that from 2035, only new cars that do not emit CO2 during operation should be registered. However, there are now to be exemptions for cars powered by e-fuels.