WATCH: Mark Webber and Porsche Taycan take on Tassie

Porsche has opened its first e-fuel plant and will soon also produce synthetic petrol in Tasmania, prolonging the life of its famous boxer engines and throwing performance car fans a lifeline as jurisdictions like Europe ban conventional diesel and petrol powered for cars from 2035.

The HIF Tasmania facility is being established around 30km south of Burnie in the state’s north-west and is due to start producing carbon-neutral e-fuel in mid-2026, forming a key part of Porsche’s ‘double-e path’ that will offer battery-electric vehicles alongside e-fuelled combustion models.

While it’ll still be another few years before Tasmanian e-fuel is powering Porsches, the first plant in Chile was formally opened in December and is expected to produce around 130,000 litres of e-fuel per annum in its preliminary pilot phase.

This fuel will be used in what Porsche describes as ‘lighthouse’ projects like the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup racing series and at Porsche Experience Centres.

Using nothing but renewable energy, water and green hydrogen, HIF Tasmania is expected to produce more than 100 million litres of e-fuel per annum when at full capacity and will be one of several plants scattered around the globe (including the US).

But while 2026 is creeping closer at a surprisingly quick rate, Porsche already has an eco-friendly portfolio available to the public in the form of its Taycan and Taycan Cross line-ups.

The all-surface performance and capabilities of the higher-riding Taycan Cross Turismo are on full display in a new video shot in Tasmania starring Porsche brand ambassador and former F1 racer Mark Webber.

Piloting an entry-level Taycan 4 Cross Turismo up the formidable Jacob’s Ladder deep in the Ben Lomond National Park, Webber said e-fuel had a real shot at both prolonging the life of internal combustion engine vehicles and slowing climate change.

“Using e-fuels could be an effective way to reduce the CO2 outputs of the existing combustion-powered cars currently on the road,” he said.

“And this is an important contributor for drivers to make the transition to EVs over time.”

Describing Tasmania as “one of the last great wildernesses left on the planet”, Webber had no issues in navigating the myriad unsealed hairpins of Jacob’s Ladder in the $178,800, 350kW/500Nm Taycan 4 Cross Turismo.

“Driving in a place like this reminds you why we need to protect our environment for future generations… with EV powertrains and liquid e-fuels,” he said.

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