Low levels of production mean that e-fuels, a hydrogen-derived fuel source touted as a green solution for internal combustion engine vehicles, will only be able to cover around 2% of the EU’s vehicle fleet by 2035, a new study concludes.
The analysis, carried out by clean mobility NGO Transport & Environment (T&E), predicts that e-fuel production will still be in its infancy by the time the draft EU ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars is enacted. [bold, links added]
Some synthetic fuels are theoretically carbon neutral, as CO2 is captured for production and then released when the fuel is combusted, leaving the net level of carbon in the atmosphere unchanged.
Fuel manufacturers and some automotive industry players have pushed for e-fuels to be classified by European lawmakers as a green alternative to petrol and diesel.
If successful, this would allow internal combustion engine vehicles to continue to be sold past the 2035 deadline, provided they are powered by carbon-neutral fuels.
But according to T&E, just 5 million cars out of the EU’s fleet of 287 million could fully run on synthetic fuel in 2035.
The analysis was conducted using figures put forward by Concawe, a fuel industry research group, which estimated the installation of new e-fuel production units in the EU by 2035.
The analysis does not take into account e-fuels imported from beyond the bloc, as doing so at scale is “unrealistic” according to Yoann Gimbert, an e-mobility analyst at T&E.
“It is naive to assume that developing countries, some of whom lack power for their basic needs, would spare their renewables for e-fuels in Europe’s cars just to suit the vested interests of engine makers,” he said.
Gimbert also rejected claims that e-fuels represent a clean solution for cars, calling synthetic fuels a “Trojan Horse for the fossil fuel industry”.
“E-fuels are presented as a carbon-neutral way to prolong the life of combustion engine technology. But the industry’s own data shows there will only be enough for a tiny fraction of cars on the road,” he said.
T&E has long supported the electrification of road transport, pointing out that even carbon-neutral e-fuels produce harmful NOx emissions when combusted.
The low supply of e-fuels also makes them expensive to purchase at present, with T&E suggesting that the average cost of running a vehicle on e-fuels over five years would greatly surpass the cost of charging an electric vehicle.
h/t RO
Read rest at Euractiv
So just when will their Fearless Leaders be using EV like they want them to drive