Without a doubt, electric cars will be an important part of the future of the automotive industry. But the door must not be closed to other technologies and advances… especially if they can make it easier for already built cars to continue to circulate. That is what Stellantis intends, which is finalizing the tests of synthetic fuels (e-fuels) in 28 types of combustion engines to try to reduce carbon emissions in 28 million cars that use these propellants that the group has manufactured since 2014 in Europe and will do so until 2029.
The use of synthetic fuels and biofuels could reduce, according to the brand’s calculations, up to 400 million tons of CO2 in Europe from 2025 to 2050. These fuels are created from hydrogen and CO2 captured from the atmosphere. To make them, electricity is needed, generated from renewable sources or electrolysis (separating oxygen and hydrogen from water).
The engines belong to brands such as Citroën, Peugeot, Fiat, Opel, Jeep and DS since 2014, so they comply with the Euro 6 standard. This would make it easier for existing vehicles to be able to move without generating new emissions (they would do so while driving) but avoiding the manufacture of new vehicles in which it is contaminated. The bet is interesting, of course, but the automotive group does not give up selling only electric cars in Europe from 2029.
For the user, it would mean being able to extend the life of their vehicle, affordably, without having to update the engine’s fuel system or wait for the recharging infrastructure to be more developed.
“We are stepping up our fight against global warming by testing carbon-neutral fuel like complementary solution to our holistic approach to decarbonization. As we continue to firmly execute our electrification strategy, we must also find smart alternatives to address CO2 emissions from the existing 1.3 billion internal combustion engine cars,” said Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis.
The head honcho of the group indicated that “by working to ensure that our Stellantis engines are suitable for running on e-fuel, we are trying to offer another tool in the fight against global warming, one that can have an almost immediate impact. It is well aligned with our commitment to be carbon neutral by 2038.”
The 28 families of engines include gasoline and diesel blocks. The validation protocol includes tests on tailpipe emissions, starting ability, engine power, reliability strength, oil dilution, fuel tank, lines or fuel filter.
