Stellantis tests e-fuels for existing vehicles - and stays on electric course

While the Stellantis Group remains committed to selling 100 percent battery-electric cars in Europe by 2030, the company has announced final tests with e-fuels on 28 engine families. This is seen as a support for decarbonization of vehicles manufactured in Europe since 2014 (Euro 6), with the hope of reducing CO2 emissions by 90 percent. The solution could be applied to up to 28 million Stellantis vehicles and has the potential to save up to 400 million tons of CO2 across Europe between 2025 and 2050, according to the French. At the same time, the group confirms their goal to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2038 – as outlined in the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan.

"We are intensifying our efforts in the fight against global warming by testing carbon-neutral fuels as a complementary solution to our holistic decarbonization approach. While we are committed to our ambitious electrification strategy, we also need to find smart alternatives to reduce the CO₂ emissions from the 1.3 billion combustion engine vehicles currently on the road," proclaimed Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares.

More specifically, 28 engine families built from 2014 to 2029, both gasoline and diesel, are being tested and validated. The validation protocol includes tests on exhaust emissions, start-up capability, engine performance, reliability, durability, oil dilution, fuel tank, fuel lines, and filter. The production of e-fuels is an opportunity to redefine energy sovereignty by reshaping the energy supply map based on the availability of wind and solar belts rather than the current locations for fossil fuel extraction, the group notes.

Fundamentally, more than 30 billion euros are being invested in electrification and software by 2025 to develop battery-powered electric vehicles. They are also seeking complementary solutions to advance efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions, it says. By the end of the decade, all car sales in Europe and 50 percent of car and light commercial vehicle sales in the United States are expected to be BEVs.