Demystifying Synthetic Fuels

Summary

• Synthetic fuels can power traditional internal combustion engines (ICEs) with minimal changes to infrastructure, offering a lower-emission alternative.
• Automakers like Porsche are investing in synthetic fuels to preserve ICE vehicles as the world moves toward greener transportation.
• High production costs make synthetic fuels significantly more expensive than fossil fuels, limiting their mass-market viability.
• Synthetic fuels reduce CO₂ emissions by around 85%, but they are still not zero-emission and cannot match battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in efficiency.
• Due to energy demands and limited supply potential, synthetic fuels are likely to serve niche roles, complementing rather than replacing BEVs

Synthetic fuels also known as e-fuels, are generating a lot of buzz as a possible stepping stone towards decarbonization, providing a clean way to power internal combustion engines (ICEs) without the need for completely overhauling fueling infrastructure. Synthetic fuels offer several appealing benefits, including compatibility with conventional internal combustion engines and traditional service stations, as well as the use of renewable feedstocks like captured carbon and green hydrogen. Yet, despite the benefits, synthetic fuels are not the magic solution to making transportation carbon-neutral nor a replacement for battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

The process of producing these fuels remains costly and energy-intensive, leaving an efficiency cap on production. Moreover, although synthetic fuels do help lower emissions, they are not 100% carbon-neutral and don’t come close to the zero-tailpipe emissions that BEVs offer. But in the race for a sustainable transport future, synthetic fuels simply cannot compete with electric vehicles, so even if they offer some advantages, this is bad news, as this article explores.