Porsche is confident that it is too early to write off internal combustion engines. Synthetic methanol could replace gasoline without the need for major engine modifications. Thus, the current Porsche 911 model is already capable of running on this type of fuel. When such methanol is burned in the cylinders, it emits 90% less CO2 compared to using gasoline.
To create synthetic fuel, Porsche engineers use hydrogen and carbon dioxide. First, hydrogen is extracted from water, separating it from oxygen, and then it is combined with CO2 obtained from the air. The production cycle also does not harm the environment — the energy for it will be provided by a wind power plant.
The financing for the construction of the plant was undertaken by Porsche and the German government. Already in 2022, the enterprise plans to produce 130 thousand liters of synthetic methanol, by 2024 this figure should grow to 55 million liters, and by 2026 reach 550 million liters. Starting next year, this fuel will be used in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup races.
