Porsche begins eFuels production in Chile

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - Porsche announced Tuesday that it has started at a pilot plant in Chile the production eFuels which could serve as an alternative fuel to combustion engines worldwide.

Also known as synthetic fuels, "eFuels made from water and carbon dioxide using wind energy enable the nearly CO2-neutral operation of petrol engines," the German carmaker said in a statement.

"The potential of eFuels is huge. There are currently more than 1.3 billion vehicles with combustion engines worldwide. Many of these will be on the roads for decades to come, and eFuels offer the owners of existing cars a nearly carbon-neutral alternative," said Michael Steiner, Member of the Executive Board for Development and Research at Porsche AG.

The south of Chile was chosen for its ideal conditions to produce eFuels with the wind blowing around 270 days a year that enable wind turbines to operate at full capacity, according to the company.

A ceremonial fueling of a Porsche 911 with the first synthetic fuel produced was conducted at the Haru Oni pilot plant in Punta Arenas, Chile while it was officially opened in the presence of Chilean Energy Minister Diego Pardow.

"Using eFuels reduces CO2 emissions. Looking at the entire traffic sector, the industrial production of synthetic fuels should keep being pushed forward worldwide," said Barbara Frenkel, Member of the Executive Board for Procurement at Porsche AG.

The company plans to produce 130,000 liters (34,342 gallons) of eFuel annually in the pilot phase, initially to use it in more specific projects such as Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and at Porsche Experience Centers.

After the pilot phase, the project in Chile aims to produce 55 million liters annually by mid-decade, with capacity raised to 550 million liters in two years,