“E-fuels are a useful addition”

Stuttgart Porsche has high hopes for e-fuels. There are currently around 1.3 billion vehicles with internal combustion engines in the world, says Barbara Frenkel, head of purchasing at the sports car manufacturer, in an interview with Handelsblatt. “It will be many years before this fleet is replaced by electric cars. With synthetic fuels, the CO2 emissions of the vehicle fleet are reduced immediately. ”In the future, historic cars, existing vehicles, but also further developed combustion models, could be operated almost CO2-neutrally.

The new federal government and the new FDP transport minister, Volker Wissing, have a tailwind. In the coalition agreement, the chapter on climate-neutral mobility says: In Germany, from 2035 onwards, in addition to electric cars, only “vehicles that can be re-registered with e-fuels can be verified”.

As a first step, Porsche is investing 20 million euros in a pilot plant in Chile. “It will go into operation next year,” says Frenkel: “In this first phase, we will get the annual production of 130,000 liters of e-fuels.” In further expansion, the company could invest up to half a billion euros in the system, including a wind farm .

For Porsche, it is important to secure the future of the iconic 911 sports car. Porsche hopes to be able to continue building the cult car with e-fuels even in the era of electromobility. Propulsion and environmental experts warn, however, that Germany is treading an unnecessarily expensive and inefficient wrong track towards climate-neutral mobility if e-fuels are used on a large scale in the passenger car sector. Numerous studies have shown that the use of e-fuels in addition to purely electrically powered vehicles is pointless, especially in Germany, where the levers have long been turned towards e-mobility.

Top jobs of the day

Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.

Read the entire interview here:

Ms. Frenkel, many experts believe that gasoline substitutes that are produced in a climate-neutral manner are not a good idea. Why does Porsche also rely on these fuels?
For Porsche, e-fuels are a useful addition to electromobility. They offer numerous advantages and can be used with the existing filling station infrastructure. We want to make a contribution to climate protection with these green synthetic fuels. There are currently around 1.3 billion vehicles with internal combustion engines in the world. It will be many years before this fleet is replaced by electric cars. With synthetic fuels, the CO2 emissions of the vehicle fleet are reduced immediately. In the future, historic cars, existing vehicles, but also further developed combustion models can be operated almost CO2-neutrally.

Once generated, green electricity could be used better and with higher efficiency directly in purely battery-operated electric cars …
That’s true for Germany and Europe. But if production takes place in places where sustainable electricity is in abundance, energy use no longer plays a dominant role. This is one of the reasons why we have chosen southern Chile as the location for our e-fuels pilot plant. In Patagonia the wind blows around 270 days a year. We don’t take away anyone’s green electricity there.

What can the pilot plant do?
We are initially investing 20 million euros in the system. It will start operating next year. Porsche is the main customer. In this first phase we then get the annual production of 130,000 liters of e-fuels.

With energy from a wind turbine, those are only homeopathic doses.
It is the start of industrialization. The plant is started up gradually. We see ourselves as pioneers and want to show that production works on a large scale. This is a real contribution to climate protection: To manufacture e-fuels, we need CO2 that is extracted directly from the air. Our partners have mastered this technology.

“We want to first use e-fuels in motorsport”

Then what is Porsche’s contribution?
We contribute our know-how in fuel compatibility. Our engineers concentrate on ensuring that the e-fuels harmonize perfectly with our high-performance engines.

And Porsche brings the money?
Other partners are also investing. We are very interested in the development of renewable fuels and want to use e-fuels initially in motorsport. Later also in the Porsche Experience Centers, during vehicle testing and when refueling for the first time in the factory.

What does a liter cost then?
In the pilot phase we calculate with costs of ten dollars per liter. The point here is to bring the potential of this innovative technology to the fore. The growing public – and also in politics – shows that we are on the right track.

Do you think the lobbying is working?
I would say the factual arguments work. Politicians are well advised to listen to science too. E-fuels production is feasible. We can already make an additional contribution on the way to CO2 neutrality today.

What are the further plans?
We will scale the project together with our partners. It will go on quickly, in batches of 50 million and then 550 million liters.

Porsche 911

Die-hard fans of the sports car will also want to drive combustion engines in the future, Porsche is convinced.

(Photo: Bloomberg)

And what does a liter cost then?
If produced on an industrial scale, the cost could drop below two dollars per liter. When it comes to the price at the petrol station, however, taxation is a key factor.

Is that a call for help to the new federal government?
The pilot plant in Chile is funded by the federal government. The question is how important it is for politicians to rapidly scale up e-fuels and thus decarbonise existing vehicles. Politicians can set various incentives for taxes and duties, but this is not a cry for help.

What if that doesn’t happen?
It is important to note that there is great potential for e-fuels in industry. For example in aviation and shipping: batteries are too heavy for large aircraft and too weak for ships. In the future, these industries will depend on e-fuels for decarbonization.

Porsche wants to operate around 80 percent of its fleet electrically by 2030. Then why not switch all Porsches over to electric right away?
Because, for example, the 911 is very popular with our customers. One thing is clear: electrification is happening at different speeds in different regions of the world. Not all of them are traveling as fast as we are in Europe or, for example, California. In countries without sufficient green electricity supply and the corresponding infrastructure, many combustion engines will still be on the road after 2030.

“E-fuels are an element of our sustainability strategy”

Without compensation, it doesn’t make any sense for Porsche, does it?
It always makes sense to be at the forefront of innovations. This is what sets Porsche apart. With e-fuels, green energy comes where it cannot be produced in sufficient quantities today. That is an important aspect.

Physically, as with green hydrogen, the conversion via green electricity is far too expensive.
Germany now imports energy, including French nuclear power and Eastern European coal power. We are still a long way from producing and using only green electricity. It’s also about stability: electricity is needed 24 hours a day – not just when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. In e-fuels, renewable energy – for example from Chile – can be stored, transported and distributed via the existing infrastructure.

But you don’t want to postpone the coal phase-out?
That’s not what it is about. It is correct that coal-fired power plants, for example, are going offline. At the same time, sustainable energies must be expanded more quickly. E-fuels can make a contribution here.

Is the procurement of climate-neutral gasoline substitutes your favorite topic?
I have a passion for sustainability – long before I became the chief procurement officer. Sustainability is a matter close to my heart. Porsche wants to achieve carbon neutrality in the balance sheet by 2030. E-fuels are an element of our holistic sustainability strategy.

More: Porsche CEO Oliver Blume wants to invest strategically in the semiconductor supply chain. At the same time, he vehemently promotes synthetic fuels

.
source site-13