Gas-powered vehicles could start using electricity-based fuels (e-fuels) to be climate neutral as electric vehicles begin to take over.
Key Details
- E-fuels, or synthetic fuels, can be considered climate neutral as they use electricity from renewable sources to split hydrogen from water, then blend the hydrogen with carbon dioxide from the air, according to Bloomberg.
- The fuels are considered climate neutral only if they are produced using electricity from renewable sources like wind or solar energy.
- The e-fuels, such as e-methane, e-kerosene, and e-methanol, can be used in gas-powered cars to make them climate efficient and allow current vehicles to be more efficient, and allow for production to continue despite many manufacturers switching to total EV production.
Why it’s news
A large majority of the world is changing to EVs as governments worldwide fight to become more environmentally friendly.
As EV production takes over, gas-powered vehicles are becoming less needed, but e-fuels could be used in gas-powered vehicles to make the vehicles more climate neutral and allow current vehicles to still be used.
E-fuels are synthetic fuels that are different from traditional gas, but it does not come from fossil energy sources. The fuel is made from a chemical process with hydrogen, and the energy used is renewable, making it clean and climate neutral.
A downside to the fuel is that it takes a lot of energy to create, making it costly. By 2030, the production of a liter, which is about a quarter of a gallon, of e-fuel will still cost around $3 or $4, the U.S.-based nonprofit organization forecast in 2020.
Using the e-fuels in vehicles, it will allow for current cars to become more climate neutral and will keep more jobs in the employment sector as gas-powered car manufacturers can continue to build the vehicles.
Some e-fuels have already begun circulating with planes and ships using half e-fuel and half regular gasoline to make long trips and be more climate cautious. If more businesses start to use e-fuels production will be ramped up, making it more accessible.