Porsche uses wind energy to produce synthetic electronic fuel in Chile. But Toyota may have planned a better alternative fuel.

The enthusiastic adoption of electric vehicles by global automakers has been suspended. All right, time out. This may surprise some legislators, but after the ban on the sale of gasoline-powered cars in 2035, internal combustion engines will still exist. The rest of the vehicles will need gasoline; Porsche and Toyota are proposing solutions.

Porsche is producing eFuel (synthetic electronic fuel), which is almost carbon neutral, almost the same as gasoline extracted from crude oil today. Toyota is cooperating with Exxon to produce low-carbon fuel. Who will win the battle for environmentally friendly alternative fuels is anybody's guess. Tell you why Toyota is currently in the leading position.

Why do we need alternative energy?

Electric vehicles promise to achieve zero emissions through sustainable energy supply. So far, they have also shown consumers problems such as short cruising range, long charging time, shortage of precious metals and power grid shortage. This series of problems makes many people doubt whether electric vehicles are the future development direction.

Switching from electric cars to other cars will make daydreaming come true. This means that hydrogen fuel and fuel cells show new hope. These solutions are now being worked out to replace the sales ban on internal combustion engine drives.

But the old internal combustion engine cannot be driven by hydrogen alone, which is why the development of alternative fuels should be promoted. Porsche and Toyota are the biggest competitors.

Why is Porsche's synthetic fuel special?

Porsche cooperates with Siemens Energy and other international companies to produce synthetic electronic fuel. They deconstructed the hydrocarbon composition of crude oil and looked for the source of carbon and hydrogen. They found these sources in air and water.

Carbon dioxide is the main component of greenhouse gas emissions, and it is around us. Porsche is developing a carbon capture device that can extract carbon from the air. At present, they are transporting carbon. Hydrogen comes from water. Synthetic electronic fuel plants use electrolysis to separate water molecules and collect hydrogen.

Through these processes, the company can make methanol and then synthesize heavy gasoline and light gasoline. The company mixes all kinds of gasoline into exactly the same molecules as today's gasoline engines. So why is it carbon neutral? This gas itself is not zero carbon. Its pollution is the same as our current gasoline products.

However, the synthetic electronic fuel produced by Porsche is considered carbon neutral because it extracts carbon from the air before polluting it again. It is a net zero-emission product because it first removes carbon from the atmosphere.

Toyota's low-carbon fuel price is more reasonable.

Toyota is testing an alternative fuel from cleaner energy. They believe that they can reduce the emissions of alternative fuels by 75%. Cleaner sources may be soybeans or other materials. They do not contain traditional fossil materials.

Mobil and Toyota said they need "supportive policies to achieve a low-emission future for transportation." This announcement, together with the cooperation between two big companies, makes Toyota's alternative fuels look more promising.

Toyota is serious about reducing emissions, and their fuel development may be the answer that the world needs to keep gasoline-powered vehicles "affordable" for some time.

Comparison of alternative fuels between Toyota and Porsche

The biggest problems of Porsche's synthetic electronic fuel are logistics and optical system. EFuel factory in punta arenas, Chile is far from most developed countries. This means high transportation costs. How do we transport fuel? Through traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, such as airplanes and ships. In terms of logistics, this greatly reduces the carbon neutrality of Porsche eFuel.

Then there is the optical system of Porsche electronic fuel, which is the same as what you put in the car now. The same emissions. The same pollution. Its use obliterates the benefits of production. This does not bode well for the public image. Porsche's synthetic gasoline plant uses wind power to make it more sustainable.

Generally speaking, it seems an expensive way for Porsche owners to keep the gasoline-driven 9 1 1 on the road.

Toyota didn't disclose much information about alternative fuels. In other words, it takes a long time and needs government support. If they can fulfill any of their promises, they can produce a new type of fuel with actually less harmful emissions.

Cleaner fuels may have less net harm to the environment. With the support of the government, the alternative fuels of Toyota and Mobil seem to have more strategic significance and economic feasibility.

At present, electric vehicles do not use the power grid, which means they use coal and natural gas.

Solar energy, wind energy and hydropower also make great contributions, so they are becoming cleaner processes. Alternative fuels are not completely in line with the government's clean initiatives. They did respond to the reality that internal combustion engines will not disappear immediately after 2035. This will be a long process.

The future of electric vehicles is unknown. When the world began to adapt to clean alternative energy, alternative fuels provided a backup plan and a temporary plan. Porsche has taken a big step in producing synthetic electronic fuel, but the cooperation between Toyota and Mobil may be more realistic. Both companies are likely to become great innovators in the field of gasoline-powered vehicles.