- News hardware Synthetic fuels are the future, better than electric cars!
At a time when everyone is looking at electric cars as the future, many people are wondering if synthetic fuels might not be the best solution. But where are the projects?
The electric car is not the future!
Some automakers are beginning to wonder if electric cars might be a bad idea. As things stand, the promise of synthetic fuels is very enticing.
However, current European regulations provide for a ban on the sale of thermal vehicles by 2035. But why not imagine a near future where synthetic fuels make it possible not to add pollutioncost less and be produced locally?
The hydrogen car is an example of an alternative fuel, but it is not a synthetic fuel. The production by electricity of the hydrogen consumed today so much, that it is difficult to see his interest in electric cars. Especially since hydrogen cars are cars with electric motors and a small battery.
If this synthetic fuel is THE solution to the current energy problem. Can the European Commission reconsider its commitment? But above all, is it really a matter of the future to manufacture fuels that capture CO2 and then release it?
What about synthetic fuel?
Already, you have to understand what this famous synthetic fuel is. It is also called e-fuel, it involves using a chemical reaction by the electrical activation of water to capture CO2. It is then captured and synthesized into fuel, which can become the famous e-fuel.
This fuel is not purely miraculous, because it does not reduce the carbon footprint, it simply avoids increasing it. Current hydrocarbons are extracted from the ground to be burned. As a result, carbon is captured in the soil and released into the atmosphere. Synthetic fuels promise to capture carbon from the air to consume it and release it into the air. We thus end up with a cycle that does not produce more CO2. The condition, however, is that this fuel be produced from green electricity.
The research work of manufacturers for this fuel dates back a long time. But it was clearly not a priority. The search is therefore slow. Today, the stakes are much higher and big players are making things happen.
Can Formula 1 save thermal cars?
One of the big players in carbon neutrality is the world of Formula 1. The goal is to be neutral by 2030be it fuel, but also anything that requires the holding of a Grand Prix.
But what interests us most here, this is the engine imposed by the FIA in 2026 (International Automobile Federation), which notably manages the Formula 1 regulations. One of the challenges is to have a carbon-neutral fuel, which can be used in everyday cars. We are not talking about biofuels here, but about fuel resulting from the capture of CO2.
Formula 1 appeals to car manufacturers who must have found a solution by 2026as well as the oil company Aramco, responsible for 5% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Finally, we can see synthetic fuels as a transition while waiting to have a real more ecological solution. Electric cars, in their current design, are in no way green. The quantity of rare earths necessary for their construction make them currently the most polluting vehicle to build.
While waiting for the fuel and the non-polluting vehicle of the future, it is the best alternative for the present. Especially since it would be possible to imagine using this fuel in current vehicles, with a simple reprogramming of the fuel injection computers. A good way to pollute less without penalizing the most modest households.