Will my car run on e-fuels? German tests say yes

E-fuels may seem like a viable low-emissions alternative to fossil fuels, yet many motorists ask themselves whether regular cars can cope with the synthetics.

A new study by Germany's huge ADAC motoring club, which commissioned experts at the TU Darmstadt university, has shed light on this and concluded that most modern cars can indeed tolerate e-fuels without any modifications.

The test used Eco100Pro petrol, certified as 100% non-fossil, and the scientists ruled that there was no technical risk to modern engines after putting motors through a rigorous set of tests.

The motors were used in bench trials, on the racetrack in the ADAC XC Cup race series and in a production car in road traffic. "There was no loss of power and torque compared to premium petrol from the filling station and no higher fuel consumption," the ADAC said.

The club said there was also no technical risk for the combustion engine through the use of Eco100. "The e-fuels also released at least 77% fewer carbon dioxide emissions when burned."

However critics say that the energy used to make e-fuels outweigh the CO2 savings they might bring drivers, and that they are still not climate neutral even when renewable energy sources are used to make them.

In the long-run e-fuels are likely to prove to be too expensive and inefficient to displace electric vehicles, but advocates believe they could play a role in keeping the many millions of ICE cars on the road until the electric transformation is completed.

The ADAC report said CO2 savings of up to 92% could be achieved using the e-fuel tested if renewable energies are used for its production.

Technical President Karsten Schulze called the study results encouraging, as it showed show "that existing vehicles can also be converted to sustainable and climate-friendly mobility". However, the relatively high price of e-fuels is currently putting a damper on their widespread use.

Earlier ADAC data also raised hopes for owners of diesel cars, suggesting that HVO diesel or "hydrotreated vegetable oil" has a better carbon footprint than fossil fuels.

This fuel made from hydrogen-treated old vegetable oils and fat residues reduces CO2 emissions from diesel vehicles by around 90%. However, according to the ADAC, the price per litre in Germany is €0.10 to €0.20 higher than the price of conventional diesel.