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Over the next two decades, fossil fuel usage is set to rise by more than 13 percent. Moreover, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from traffic around the world must be decreased by 50 percent over the next four decades for climate targets to be reached.
In an effort to both lower emissions and raise fuel efficiency, car companies, research facilities and start-ups are all trying to find alternative energy solutions, with one promising solution being the development of carbon-neutral e-diesel. The processes behind the creation of e-diesel vary, but they all produce it from CO2 that has been extracted from the atmosphere.
These fuels are essentially climate-neutral, as they only generate as much CO2 as was used during production. Experts have predicted that a car running on e-diesel will have a carbon footprint similar to that of an electric car running on power generated from renewable sources.
One crucial advantage e-diesel has over electric cars and other clean technology solutions is that the current filling-station network can continue to be useful. Also, combustion-engine expertise with remain valuable with cars that run on e-diesel.
Even though electric cars will become significantly less expensive in the years ahead, the development of e-diesel will likely be worthwhile. According to Bosch, for a lifetime of 160,000 kilometres, the overall cost of owning a synthetic-fuel hybrid could be less than that for a similar electric car, depending on the kind of renewable energy used in production.
At this time, generating fuels from carbon dioxide is an intricate and costly process. However, a scaled-up process and helpful electricity prices could make these fuels considerably cheaper. The latest research shows this kind of fuel could cost between 1.00 and 1.40 euros a litre long-term, a cost that compares favourably to current European gas prices.
A Promising Study
A team of researchers from Harvard University and the Canadian start-up Carbon Engineering published study results in June that described a technique to inexpensively and directly draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to produce synthetic fuel. The study is noteworthy because it points to game-changing lower costs. As recently as 2011, experts projected that it would cost a minimum of $600 to get rid of a metric ton of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
According to the new study, the new process can extract the same ton of CO2 for as little as $94, and for no greater than $232. At those prices, it would cost between $1 and $2.50 to extract the carbon dioxide released by a gallon of gasoline fuelling a typical car. This development points to the possibility of climate stabilization for reasonable costs without shifting the entire energy system or behaviours.
Potential Drawbacks
While any significant developments related to carbon-neutral fuel is good news, it does come with a handful of caveats. For one, a combustion engine could have a limited shelf-life for use in passenger cars, given the developments in electric car technology. This could mean e-diesel has a limited window of opportunity in the automotive industry. By the time e-diesel can be a viable option for drivers, electric car technology should be to the point that e-diesel is made obsolete.
Some advocates have said e-diesel could find uses in power generation. However, Tesla’s plan for marketing both home and industrial-scale batteries makes the possibility of e-diesel generators less likely. Energy businesses providing power to homes and businesses would likely be better off providing electricity directly from renewable sources, rather than synthesizing and shipping fuel.
However, there are still many other practical possibilities for e-diesel. Even if all cars were to go electric, aircraft, cargo ships and large trucks could still run on fuel. Carbon-neutral combustion engines operating on man-made fuels are thus a very promising road to explore.
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