Are e-fuels suitable for motorcycles?

Politicians are still reluctant to use synthetic fuels, but the chemical industry continues to research e-fuel technology. In the future, it will become increasingly important for every biker to find out who still represents the interests of motorcyclists politically. We can help decide the direction at the ballot box and should use this opportunity.

Nowadays it's more and more about driving bans that are not only implemented at critical points. It's not the case that motorcyclists are against nature, quite the opposite, but yes, there are others too, but that is and remains the task of the authorities, to remove those from traffic and not to keep every motorcyclist in the fold gain weight!

We will not be able to ignore the climate debate, no matter how far-fetched the arguments are, I am sure that this issue will continue to concern us very much in the coming years, as long as politicians recommend that we only stay at home should heat up to 19° and just stay at home on the weekend. Unnecessary driving back and forth is already an administrative offense in Germany and is punished with 100 euros according to Section 30 Paragraph 1 Sentence 3 of the StVO. The question is when they will start to expand such administrative offenses. What did Karl Lauterbach say in December 2020?!

We therefore need measures to deal with climate change that are analogous to the restrictions on personal freedom in the fight against pandemics. I increasingly doubt whether this is achievable.

Karl Lauterbach Source World December 27, 2020

And the government's actions contradict themselves once again. Why aren't e-fuels available at gas stations when they are demonstrably climate-friendly. The hydrogen is enriched with CO₂ from the environment and the synthetic fuel is ready. That's probably too simple. E-fuels belong in a serious climate debate. Let's take a look into the future!

The specifications for the new Euro 6 standard for motorcycles are expected in April 2022.

With the greatly tightened Euro 7 emissions standard from 2025, only cars that emit a maximum of 20 milligrams of CO2 will be permitted in the future. Since January 1, 2021, the Euro 5 emissions standard has applied to new motorcycle registrations. For a few with Euro 4, there was still an exception. The requirements for the next EURO 6 standard level for motorcycles be presented in April 2022. We can look forward to seeing what comes out of this so-called legislative proposal, I fear nothing good!

The C3-Mobility project ran last year, where industry and automobile and a motorcycle manufacturer started a large-scale test at the large-scale testing facility at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, with around 46,000 liters of synthetic fuel being used for the test drives . I can say in advance that the test drives so far have shown that synthetic fuels in accordance with DIN EN 228 can be used without any technical changes.

Not only for car engines, the motorcycle manufacturer also came to a positive result. E-fuels would be a sensible contribution to the climate, even in terms of price at an estimated €1.60 per liter, although a larger supply could bring the price down even further if e-fuels were permitted.

Your opinion on eFuels!

Excerpt from the CAC information on the C3-Mobility project

CAC e-fuel recognized by industry and science

International automobile and motorcycle manufacturers as well as development service providers such as FEV certify that the synthetic gasoline from Chemieanlagenbau Chemnitz, or CAC for short, is 100 percent compatible with the existing vehicle fleet. This means that every vehicle with a petrol or gasoline engine can be driven in a climate-friendly manner. The technology for producing this e-fuel was developed by CAC with the support of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, implemented as Europe's largest test facility in 2009 and is ready for large-scale production - assuming the political course is set.

As part of the project, around 46,000 liters of synthetic gasoline were produced using the large-scale testing facility at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg and made available to automobile manufacturers for engine and fleet tests. Green methanol of biogenic origin was used and was converted into gasoline in a patented, market-ready process.

The results of the project partners were consistently positive and were published at the final event of the project. In all properties, such as material compatibility, CO2 emissions and consumption, synthetic gasoline is equivalent to fossil gasoline - and is even more advantageous in terms of oxidation stability and particle emissions. As an E10 blend, the drop-in synthetic gasoline meets the requirements of the DIN EN 228 standard, is registered according to REACH and can directly replace conventional fossil fuel or be mixed with it - without any technical adjustments to the vehicle. “The confirmation of the project partners is a great success for our technology, because climate protection requires openness to technology,” explains Jörg Engelmann, Managing Director of the CAC.

Synthetic fuels made from water, CO2 and green electricity

In general, the topic is also known as Power-to-X – meaning “power for something”. The X can be many things: In addition to gasoline, diesel, kerosene, methanol, ammonia, gas or liquid gas can also be produced from CO2 and water. All you need is electricity and various catalysts.

Using carbon dioxide, highly concentrated from industrial exhaust gases or from the air, as a starting material for the production of synthetic gasoline is a promising way to apply CAC technology and enables the carbon dioxide to be recycled. Using CO2 to produce fuel turns an unwanted byproduct into a sought-after commodity. Industrial companies with high CO2 emissions would not need to release carbon dioxide into the environment at all, but could instead introduce it straight into the fuel production cycle as a raw material. The CO2 savings could be offset against emission certificates – provided the legal basis is met. The additional hydrogen required is obtained from water using electrolysis, ideally with electricity from sustainable energy sources.

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