CAR EXPLAINS
Can synthetic fuel keep motors in motorsport?
Despite the rise of the EV, synthetic fuel makers have gradually been building a case for prolonging the life of the combustion engine. If engines can run on CO2-neutral synthetic fuel, rather than fossil fuel, some of the environmental objections to their continued use are removed, and a lot of premature scrapping is avoided.
Porsche and HIF Global recently announced they’re aiming to put their version on sale by the end of the decade, while Mazda has become the first manufacturer to join the eFuel Alliance, promoting the use of C02-neutral fuels. Promising signs for petrol and maybe even diesel road cars, but what about motorsport? Or is it inevitable that racing will have to switch to EVs?
The indications are certainly promising. We took part in a two-hour endurance race at Donington Park in a Mazda MX-5 run on carbon-neutral fuel and there was no drop-off in performance or efficiency versus petrol.
Developed by P1 Fuels, Eco100Pro is 97 octane and EN228 accredited yet is 94 per cent carbon neutral from well to wheel. The carbon used in its production can be extracted from the atmosphere via carbon capture technology, meaning tailpipe emissions are almost entirely offset during production; the six per cent shortfall is down to not all energy in the process coming from renewables.
It’s an appealing prospect, but naturally there are downsides. For example, tailpipe emissions remain, so local pollution is unchanged. Also, the retail price of the new fuels is around three times a
