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Porsche believes in e-fuels and starts production in Chile
In the presence of Chilean Energy Minister Diego Pardow, the Zuffenhausen-based automobile manufacturer officially inaugurated its pilot plant for the production of synthetic fuels "Haru Oni" in Punta Arenas (Chile). This facility was established in cooperation with Siemens Energy as well as oil companies Exxon and Enel, and is operated by the Chilean company Highly Innovative Fuels (HIF), in which Porsche holds a 12.5 percent stake. Porsche board members Barbara Frenkel and Michael Steiner ceremonially refueled a Porsche 911 with the first synthetic fuel produced on-site. eFuels, which are produced from water and carbon dioxide using wind energy, enable nearly CO2-neutral operation of internal combustion engines. Porsche is focusing on a so-called "double E": electromobility and supplementary eFuels.
"The use of eFuels reduces CO2 emissions. With regard to the entire transportation sector, the industrial production of synthetic fuels should be further promoted worldwide. With the eFuels pilot plant, Porsche is taking a leading role in this development," says Barbara Frenkel, Executive Board Member for Procurement at Porsche AG.
The potential of eFuels is significant. There are currently more than 1.3 billion internal combustion vehicles worldwide. Many of them will still be on the road for decades, with the manufacturer expecting an average retention period of 18 years, meaning operation until after 2040. eFuels could offer owners of existing vehicles a perspective, according to Zuffenhausen, even though by 2030 the manufacturer aims to sell 80 percent of its new vehicles as purely electric.
"As a manufacturer of high-performance and efficient engines, Porsche has extensive expertise in the field of fuels," adds Michael Steiner, Executive Board Member for Research and Development at Porsche AG.
In the pilot phase, an eFuels production of around 130,000 liters per year is planned, with a single wind turbine. The fuel will initially be used in flagship projects such as the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and the Porsche Experience Centers. Southern Chile offers ideal conditions for the production of eFuels: the wind blows there about 270 days a year allowing wind turbines to operate at full capacity. Additionally, Punta Arenas is located in close proximity to the Strait of Magellan. From the Cabo Negro port, the synthetic eFuel can be transported worldwide similar to conventional fuels and distributed via existing infrastructure.
An Important Building Block for Porsche
Porsche is working towards a CO2-neutral value chain by 2030. This also includes a CO2-neutral usage phase for future fully electric models. Synthetic fuels complement electromobility and are part of the sports car manufacturer's sustainability strategy. Overall, Porsche has invested more than 100 million US dollars in the development and provision of eFuels. In April 2022, the sports car manufacturer invested 75 million dollars in HIF Global LLC. This company plans, builds, and operates eFuel plants in Chile, the USA, and Australia. After the pilot phase, the project in Chile is expected to reach the first scaling by the middle of the decade, with around 55 million liters per year, for which 38 wind turbines would need to rotate. About two years later, the capacity is expected to reach 550 million liters, requiring 400 wind turbines.
Overall, Rather Marginal Quantities - and High Costs
Overall, however, this is merely "a drop in the ocean." According to calculations by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, in Germany alone, all combustion engine vehicles consume 52 billion liters of fuel annually. Besides, airplanes, ships, and various other industries urgently need eFuels, such as work machines like chainsaws, tractors, or construction machinery. Currently, eFuels cost about two dollars per liter, and with taxes, the eFuel from Chile would come at twice the price of conventional fossil fuel. Michael Steiner also expects that eFuels will always be more expensive than fossil fuels and may hardly be profitable in the long term without subsidies. Therefore, the focus is currently on policymakers. EU-wide, a discussed blending quota for eFuels is so far only foreseen for air traffic.
Even Baden-Württemberg's Transport Minister Hermann Wants to Debate E-Fuels
Above all, the FDP and its Porsche-affine party leader Christian Lindner have been propagating eFuels and wanted to establish them as climate-neutral propulsion sources at the EU level. However, the Green Transport Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Hermann, also traveled to Chile and sees eFuels as plausible primarily for ships, airplanes, and heavy transport, but also "for Porsche or other vehicles in the existing fleet." The phase-out of combustion engines by 2035 is correct, he said, but multiple paths must be taken, he explained to the Süddeutsche Zeitung. And he emphasized that it wouldn't work without industry. He wants to advocate for eFuels with his party friend and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck.
Translated automatically from German.
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