Big progress on new fuels

Tests of synthetic fuels in historic cars suggest they could be a viable alternative to rampant electrification 

- Jesse Crosse

PUMP-READY environmentally friendly fuels that can be used in internal combustion engines with little or no adjustment are the silver bullet solution that enthusiasts have been praying for. Once the stuff of science fiction, the actual fuels now seem to be a workable reality, but they still face a raft of obstacles: not least price, scaling up of production, and huge tax and legislative hurdles.

However, the carbon-neutral fuel manufacturer, P1 Performance Fuels, says the cost of its fossil-free, carbon-neutral fuels could become significantly more affordable from next year. Its sales and partnerships representative, Benjamin Cuyt, says prices of the fuel could fall from the current €5-€6 per litre (£4.39-5.27) to between €2.50-3.50 per litre when it ramps up. The Berlin-based firm currently produces three million litres of synthetic fuel annually but is aiming to increase volume to 20 million litres during the next year.

David Richardson, of UK-based Coryton Advanced Fuels, says his company also has the capacity to produce around 20 million litres per year, subject to demand. On current volumes of about 200,000 litres the cost is in the region of £4.50 per litre. Current prices reflect the fact that synthetic fuel is still taxed and, in the UK, a litre of Coryton's fuel is subject to fuel duty at exactly the same rate as conventional pump fuel.