Audi Makes Diesel Replacement From C02 and Water

Audi has partnered on a project they hope will mean a new source of fuel. The German-based automaker is has teamed up with a company called Sunfire to make diesel fuel from carbon dioxide and water. This duo, with cooperation from the government, in Germany is aiming to make a cleaner, non-fossil fuel vehicle propellant.

All of this research for this innovative fuel is taking place at a lab in Dresden, Germany. There has been a commissioning state of around four months to test the new fuel after which the minister of Education for Germany, Professor and Doctor Johanna Wanka put the new fuel to the test. She put five liters of it into her official government vehicle, an Audi A8 3.0 TDI. Speaking about Audi’s new fuel venture Wanka said, “This synthetic diesel, made using CO2, is a huge success for our sustainability research. If we can make widespread use of CO2 as a raw material, we will make a crucial contribution to climate protection and the efficient use of resources, and put the fundamentals of the green economy in place.”

The e-fuel is created by heating water into steam and then breaking down that steam into hydrogen and oxygen using high temperature electrolysis. The next step involves hydrogen reacting with CO2 in high pressure, high temperature reactors creating what’s been called “blue crude.” That blue crude is then refined into Audi e-diesel. The end product is free from sulfur or fossil fuel. The refined product has been called “e-fuel” and can be mixed with other fossil fuels.

This breakthrough by Audi comes at a time when other automakers are trying to make the most of vehicles that run on a cleaner fuel mix. Toyota recently announced the Mirai. The Mirai FCV, is powered by hydrogen fuel cells and like the creation by Audi, has water coming out of the exhaust pipe. While the world keeps a keen eye on every move that electric carmaker Tesla Motors makes, they would be wise to note traditional automakers are also making great strides in alternative energy research and development.

Is this a major breakthrough for the future of automotive or has Audi just found a way to help a smaller portion of the market? Do you think than an alternative fuel vehicle is the future or does that lie in EVs and plug-in hybrids?