On the path towards ecological mobility, one of the aspects that has recently been gaining strength is that of synthetic fuels. We refer to the one that feeds combustion engines without using liquid based on fossil elements. That is, without using oil.
After what has been done by brands such as Audi, Porsche and Toyota, now it is BMW that is getting involved in the world of synthetic gasoline. And it does so by participating in the development of a fuel suitable for the motorcycles of the World Superbike Championship (WSBK), one of the two most outstanding motorcycling categories in the world.
BMW and the project for the WSBK
Starting in 2024, the WSBK will implement fuel whose composition will have, at least 40%, components free of fossil elements. Through BMW Motorrad Motorsport, its division dedicated to motorcycling, the German brand participates in DeCarTrans, a project promoted by the German government and where it is linked to the firm NORDOEL, specialized in fuels. The objective of DeCarTrans (which in Spanish means “Demonstration of a circular carbon economy in transport along the value chain”) is to produce synthetic fuels on an industrial scale, thereby reducing carbon dioxide (C02) emissions. .
“BMW Motorrad Motorsport has the knowledge, the experts and the measurement facilities to test and analyze all aspects of our fuels to the limit.”
-Dirk Wullenweber, NORDOEL Marketing and Commercial Fuels Manager.
The synthetic fuels (or eFuel) protagonists of the development are produced from water and C02, the latter extracted from the air with chemical processes, which, in turn, are carried out with renewable electricity. After being carried out by NORDOEL, BMW Motorrad Motorsport puts them to the test: “The tests are carried out on our test bench and under different conditions.”
-Thomas von Westberg, project leader for BMW.
At the moment, the tests of the synthetic gasoline are mainly carried out in the BMW engine used in the WSBK, although drivers that participate in the FIM World Endurance Championship (the WEC of two wheels) were also used. In both categories, the Bavarian firm is present with the BMW M 1000 R.
Beyond the development of synthetic fuels for motor sports (whose tests will be transferred to the circuits during this year), BMW Motorrad hopes that the racing fuel we will use in the WSBK can also be used in a production bike.
