Porsche synthetic fuel plant underway

Porsche says work is well underway with an all-new synthetic fuel plant in Chile that's set to begin production for combustion-powered vehicles from 2022.

Announcing that its synthetic fuel trials will begin in parallel with the plant's construction, Porsche said the e-fuel produced at the refinery will be capable of being used in its current range of vehicles without modification.

However, rather than immediately rolling out the fuel for testing on conventional passenger cars, Porsche will introduce its green alternative to fossil fuels in its one-make Porsche 911 Supercup race series.

Partnering with Siemens Energy, AME and Enel, plus the Chilean petroleum company ENAP, Porsche plans to power the production of its e-fuels using wind power. Southern Chile was deemed an ideal location given its blustery conditions.

The state-of-the-art Haru Oni factory will begin making small quantities of fuel for Porsche's various trials before ramping up production to 55 million litres by 2024 and 10 times that volume just two years later.

Porsche and fellow Volkswagen Group stablemate Bentley view e-fuels as a crucial part of their drive to net zero emissions.

Compared to traditional crude-oil-derived fuels, synthetic fuels offer claimed reductions in CO2 in the well-to-wheel calculations of around 85 per cent – a similar level to today's most efficient EVs.

Previously commenting on synthetic fuels, Porsche sports car product boss Frank Walliser said: "The general idea behind these synthetic fuels is that there is no change to the engine necessary, unlike what we have seen with E10 and E20, so really, everybody can use it, and we are testing with the regular specs of pump fuel.

"It has no impact on performance – some horses more, so it's going in the right direction – but emissions are way better; we see less particles, less NOx."

If successful and, more crucially, accepted by governments who plan to ban the sale of combustion-powered engines (in some cases before the end of this decade), Porsche is confident e-fuels could prolong the life of models like its iconic Porsche 911.

Critics of synthetic fuels, including Mercedes-Benz, claim that the energy involved to make them will never be viable as a true alternative to batteries. Cars powered by e-fuels also still contribute to localised pollution.