Porsche is currently looking for partners to realize the large-scale application of synthetic fuels. That says development chief Michael Steiner. According to him, the ‘eFuels’ will play an essential role in making the vehicle fleet more sustainable.
If it were up to Porsche, the combustion engine can still continue in the cars of the brand for the time being. Half of the supply must be (partly) electrically powered by 2025, but in Stuttgart they do not even consider betting on that horse alone. The brand is currently looking for partners to enable the development and large-scale application of synthetic fuels.
“The combustion engine will dominate the automotive world for many years to come,” said Michael Steiner, who is responsible for Research & Development at Porsche. “If you want to run the existing fleet in a sustainable way, synthetic fuels are essential,” he says. The energy transition is going too slow, according to Steiner, with only focusing on electric mobility. The synthetic fuel that Porsche wants to co-develop is made up of CO2 and hydrogen and is produced using sustainable energy. Basically, however, this fuel is no different from kerosene, diesel or gasoline produced from crude oil. Because the synthetic fuel has the same properties as fossil fuels, the engines that are now in circulation can simply run on it.
Owners of classic Porsches may therefore in the future also benefit from the development of synthetic fuels, just like motorsport. Steiner says that in the future, Porsche will keep the combustion engine afloat in addition to the fully electric models. The sports car manufacturer does not believe in hydrogen and the fuel cell for the time being, because that technology is currently not included in the future plans of the brand.