Why trust alternative fuels?

As can be read in the Paris Agreement, global warming must be limited to two degrees above pre-industrial levels, and preferably to 1.5. For these targets to be met, Bosch has stated that “fossil CO2 emitted by road vehicles will have to be reduced to almost zero within the next three decades. The big question is how. Electromobility is now gaining momentum. Electric cars are as emission-free as the electricity production that charges their batteries. Moreover, around half of the vehicles that will be on the road in 2030 have already been sold, most of them with petrol or diesel engines. Legacy vehicles will also have to play their part in reducing CO₂ emissions. One way to achieve this is with renewable synthetic fuels“.

Reasons to back renewable synthetic fuels: time

Renewable synthetic fuels have long since left the basic research phase. Technically speaking, it is already possible to produce synthetic fuels. First, they apply electricity generated from renewable sources to obtain hydrogen from water. Then they add carbon. Finally, they combine CO2 and H2 to produce synthetic petrol, diesel, gas or kerosene.

Reasons to back renewable synthetic fuels: neutrality

They are produced exclusively with energy obtained from renewable sources such as the sun or the wind. At best, manufacturers capture the CO2 needed to make this fuel from the surrounding air, turning a greenhouse gas into a resource.

This creates a virtuous cycle in which the CO2 emitted by burning renewable synthetic fuels is reused to produce new fuels. Vehicles on the road, when running on synthetic fuel, are ultimately climate-neutral.

Reasons to back renewable synthetic fuels: infrastructure

The Fischer-Tropsch process produces renewable synthetic fuels that can be used with today’s infrastructure and engines. Experts call them “drop-in” synthetic fuels because they can be deployed without first modifying infrastructure and vehicles, so they have an immediate impact and deliver faster results.

They can also be blended into conventional fuel to help reduce CO2 emissions from vehicles already on the road today. In this way, these fuels could contribute to the cause even before they are scaled up for large-scale production. The chemical structures and basic properties of petrol remain intact, so even older cars can run on synthetic gas.

Reasons to back renewable synthetic fuels: costs

Renewable synthetic fuels will become considerably more affordable as production capacity expands and the cost of electricity generated from renewable sources falls. Current studies suggest that a pure fuel cost of between 1.20 and 1.40 euros per litre by 2030 can be achieved, and as little as one euro by 2050.

Reasons to back renewable synthetic fuels: storage

This process produces a gas or liquid. And that makes renewable synthetic fuels a good medium for storing large amounts of renewable energy and even transporting it cost-effectively around the world.