We’ve been hearing about Porsche’s eFuel program for a while, but the automaker only recently opened its first production facility for the innovative gasoline alternative. The facility will start with a modest 34,000-gallon annual output before ramping to a massive 14.5 million-gallon-per-year figure by the middle of the decade.
Porsche chose a remote location in Chile as the base for its eFuel operation because the region offers 270 days of wind each year, enabling the company to run the facility on cheap renewable energy. The intense wind also lets Porsche generate power overnight when solar panels can’t. The facility’s location near the Strait of Magellan makes it easier to load the fuel onto ships for transport.
Though a promising first step, Porsche’s new fuel production facility won’t mean a change at your local pump – at least not anytime soon. The company plans to use the fuel in its Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup cars and at Porsche Experience Centers.
The eFuel production process involves splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen before combining the hydrogen with free carbon dioxide in the air. Eventually, methanol is formed, and Porsche says it can also make synthetic kerosene using the same method. It burns like gas and may end up being a direct replacement in time, but most expect the eventual rollout to be gradual, with eFuel/gasoline mixtures being the first phase.
[Image: Porsche]
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via Autobuzz Today
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