Is eFuel too late?
09/30/2023
At events (e.g. the Steckborn Memorial Mountain Race) , we often come across pioneers who fill up their classic bikes with synthetic fuel or eFuel in order to save some CO2. From a technical point of view, it is almost certainly harmless to replace conventional petroleum-based fuels with these new alternatives. What seems more questionable is the availability of these eFuels.
In a lengthy NZZ commentary entitled "The combustion engine can no longer be saved - let's finally give up this illusion", Herbie Schmidt is rather pessimistic and argues that there is no getting around the electric car for individual mobility. He also predicts that any eFuels produced will probably be used for aviation and shipping and that there will hardly be any left over for cars, which means it will come too late.
The article , which appeared in the print edition but can also be viewed online (behind the paywall) , has produced around 500 comments that go in almost all directions, from clear agreement to complete counter-theses.
It is certainly not easy to look into the future. But we can assume that the market will play its part. If the owners of cars with combustion engines are prepared to fill up with CO2-neutral alternatives instead of fossil fuels, then these will also be offered. The price difference will fall, especially as political intervention can be expected.
What is certain is that cars with combustion engines will not simply disappear without expropriating their owners. Here we don't even have to talk about the comparatively small number of classic cars; conventionally powered cars that are still used in everyday life will remain with us for a long time to come; after all, a car from the nineties is still completely suitable for everyday use today. From an ecological point of view, a complete replacement of the existing fleet can hardly be justified, as the production of the new vehicles and the disposal of the existing cars would also release considerable amounts of CO2, as long as not everything is possible with green energy.
To cut a long story short: for us friends of the classic car, eFuels are definitely an important fuel alternative for the future, which will hopefully allow us to still be driving the cars of the 20th century in 30, 50 or 100 years' time.
