German automakers, recognized for his or her luxurious and efficiency, maintain totally different views on the usage of e-fuels. Whereas Mercedes-Benz CEO says it would favor “technically superior” EVs over ICE automobiles powered by e-fuels, Audi’s CEO says the artificial fuels will play a serious position throughout the Volkswagen Group’s plans, together with Porsche.

E-fuels are artificial fuels made utilizing captured carbon dioxide emissions and hydrogen produced utilizing CO2-free electrical energy, reminiscent of wind or photo voltaic vitality. The thought is that by capturing these emissions that might have in any other case been launched into the ambiance makes them carbon impartial.

Nevertheless, to provide e-fuels, a supply of carbon remains to be wanted, which primarily comes from oil and gasoline fields. Extra importantly, they’re nonetheless used to gasoline inside combustion automobiles and emit simply as many dangerous air pollution as fossil fuels.

Earlier this yr, Germany objected the EU’s proposed ban on new ICE automobiles in 2035 till the fee made a compromise to permit e-fuels as a “climate-neutral” gasoline supply.

A number of German automakers have publicly spoken about utilizing e-fuels and EVs going ahead with totally different viewpoints on artificial fuels.

German automakers blended on e-fuel use over EVs

Mercedes Benz CEO Ola Kallenius reaffirmed the automaker’s plans to concentrate on EVs going ahead, telling a German newspaper earlier this week that the automaker will proceed to favor superior electrical motors over inside combustion engines powered by e-fuels.

Kallenius stated that EVs provide benefits in energy effectivity, describing them as “technically superior” and “sensationally good” whereas stating the truth that e-fuels can not compete with EVs being zero emission. He added:

The electrical automotive remains to be a younger expertise in comparison with the combustion engine. We nonetheless see nice potential for progress: the electrical drive will overtake the interior combustion engine when it comes to efficiency earlier than the tip of this decade.

In the meantime, fellow German luxurious automaker Audi’s CEO, Markus Duesmann, spoke to the German newspaper WELT to share his views on the EU’s ban on ICE automobiles and the usage of e-fuels.

Duesmann defined that though Audi is phasing out ICE automobiles by 2033, the automaker will nonetheless provide totally different drive techniques for consumers, saying:

E-fuels have an vital position to play, particularly in making the prevailing fleet of ICEs carbon-neutral. E-fuels are additionally the one decarbonization expertise we all know for air journey and ocean transport. Inside the Volkswagen Group, Porsche’s present e-fuels pilot plant in Chile is demonstrating that this expertise actually works.

This comes regardless of Volkswagen model chief Thomas Shafer claiming e-fuels are “pointless noise from my perspective,” and by 2035, combustion engines are accomplished anyway.

Shafer added that e-fuels received’t change EVs and that “we don’t have sufficient vitality as it’s, so why waste it on e-fuels.”

Electrek’s Take

As Kallenius and Shafer each level out, e-fuels are pointless noise at this level. Producing e-fuels is an costly and energy-intensive course of. It additionally nonetheless promotes fossil gasoline manufacturing and prolongs how lengthy automakers can proceed constructing gas-powered automobiles.

As an alternative of losing the funding into e-fuel growth and manufacturing, utilizing the sources to fund zero-emission EV expertise makes much more sense.

With practically each automaker concentrating on a wholly electrical lineup, what’s the purpose of losing time and sources on artificial fuels that might be phased out earlier than they develop into extensively out there anyway?