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T&E Measurement: E-Fuel Produces More Pollutants than Regular Gasoline
The European environmental umbrella organization Transport & Environment (T&E) has given so-called synthetic fuels a poor rating in new exhaust tests. According to the investigations, cars powered by synthetic fuels emit just as many toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) as fossil-fueled cars running on E10, as well as more carbon monoxide and ammonia. This is the result of tests conducted by the research institute IFP Energies Nouvelles on behalf of T&E. E-fuels are chemically similar to gasoline and diesel and are currently extremely expensive to produce.
Automotive suppliers and the oil industry see them as a way to extend the lifespan of combustion engine vehicles beyond zero-emission targets. The recently adopted coalition agreement of the future German government also mentions that "e-fuels" will still allow combustion engines to be approved even after 2035, outside the European CO2 fleet limit system, as it states.
Particles reduced but still present
The tests confirmed, according to the environmental NGO, that switching to e-fuels would do little to improve air quality in our cities. In the lab and on-road tests, the emissions of a car using gasoline and three different e-fuel blends were compared. Although particle emissions are significantly reduced by the switch, there are still more than two billion particles emitted per kilometer driven by a vehicle running on e-fuel.
High carbon monoxide emissions from synthetic fuels
The combustion of synthetic gasoline produces almost three times as much carbon monoxide as regular gasoline, which is harmful to health and impairs the oxygen supply to the heart and brain. A car powered by e-fuel also emits up to twice as much ammonia, which can combine with other particles in the air to form fine particulate matter (PM2.5), for which there are no adequate limit values. Health risks of PM2.5 include asthma, heart disease, and cancer.
"The coalition agreement envisions the use of e-fuels in road transport even after 2035. This is a mistake, as they are not clean, not available, and most car manufacturers don't even want them in their new vehicles," warns Stef Cornelis, Director of T&E Germany.
Block the Road for E-Fuels
Instead of spreading uncertainty, the new government should block the road for E-Fuels and fully commit to electromobility, so that German car manufacturers could develop into market leaders in the field of electric drivetrains, Cornelis demanded.
Social Imbalance: Fuel for the Rich - More Expensive Than E-Cars
If the EU were to actually consider the loopholes for E-Fuels proposed by the industry in the fleet limits for passenger cars, drivers would be more financially burdened, as a study by T&E shows. Operating a car with synthetic fuel over a period of five years would cost a driver 10,000 euros more than operating a fully electric car. Due to the high costs of E-Fuels, the operation of a used car with synthetic gasoline would also be around 10,000 euros more expensive over the same period. Thus, synthetic fuels are poorly suited for the decarbonization of the existing fleet – a goal that the oil and automotive supplier industries advocate.
Self-Produced: Scarce and Energy-Intensive Fuel
Despite all the high-profile predictions, synthetic gasoline is still not available at the pump. To conduct current tests, IFP Energies Nouvelles had to produce about 100 liters of synthetic fuel themselves. The commercial production of E-Fuels is also significantly less efficient than the operation of electric vehicles. Compared to fully electric cars, 23 percent more renewable energy would need to be generated in Europe if 10 percent of new cars were operated with E-Fuels, as an independent study commissioned by the NGO further shows. Instead, synthetic fuels should be prioritized for ships and airplanes, most of which cannot use batteries for decarbonization, according to T&E.
“E-Fuels have lost the race for clean drive technologies for vehicles. And it wasn't even a close race. For drivers, fully electric cars are the cleanest, most efficient, and most affordable way to decarbonize, while synthetic fuels are best suited for airplanes and ships, where electrification is not an option," concludes Stef Cornelis.
The credibility of European regulations for low-emission vehicles is at stake. Any shift to E-Fuels promotes internal combustion engines, the NGO head further warned. Members of the European Parliament and the governments of the EU member states are currently deciding on a proposal from the European Commission, which stipulates that all new cars sold from 2035 must be 100 percent emission-free – a loophole for cars powered by synthetic fuels is not included.
Translated automatically from German.
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