The tank farm in the foreground, while the methanol required for e-fuels could be produced in the chemical park in Leuna.
Image: dpa
They split politics in Berlin and Brussels and raise questions about the future of individual mobility. What are e-fuels, what can they do? A short explanation.
NNothing is as old as yesterday’s newspaper. And yet it is worth taking a look at the archive from time to time. In 2018 we published an article that addressed the possible production of synthetic fuels, usually called e-fuels. He ended with the less than optimistic outlook: “The directive on the CO2-fleet limits will, according to various experts, offer no advantages for car manufacturers who offer their customers climate-neutral fuels. Because for this, the production of such fuels would have to be offset against the fleet emissions.” And further: “But for most politicians these connections seem too complex to convey to the voters.”
Now, on the initiative of the German Minister of Transport, Berlin and Brussels seem to have agreed on a solution for the use of e-fuel. The technology for making them has evolved over the past five years, but the basics are the same. It is based on an almost simple idea: Given a little skill, it is possible to build almost any molecule, provided you have the necessary atoms and sufficient energy. This also applies to synthetically produced petrol and diesel fuels, i.e. those not based on crude oil. Only hydrogen, carbon and electricity are required as ingredients for the synthetic production in the core.