A breakthrough that affects up to 28 million vehicles sold. Curic ‘possible massive and almost immediate impact on the reduction of CO2 emitted, for customers an easy and cost-effective option to reduce their carbon footprint’
No modifications will be needed to use low-carbon eFuels on 24 engine families of Stellantis models sold since 2014. The confirmation – which affects 28 million vehicles on the road – comes after months of tests carried out by the group at its own centers of research throughout Europe, using synthetic fuels supplied by Aramco.
Stellantis recalls how low carbon eFuel is a synthetic fuel of the “drop-in” type, obtained by reacting CO2, captured directly from the atmosphere or from an industrial plant, with renewable hydrogen. The use of low-carbon eFuel has the potential to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of existing internal combustion vehicles by at least 70% over their entire life cycle, compared to conventional fuels.
Commenting on the news Ned Curic, Chief Engineering and Technology Officer of Stellantis, underlines how “our collaboration with Aramco constitutes an important and complementary step in this journey for the fleet of vehicles on the road. We are exploring all the solutions to strengthen our ambitious strategy of become a company capable of achieving zero emissions by 2038. Drop-in replacement eFuels can have a massive and almost immediate impact on reducing the CO2 emissions of the existing vehicle fleet, offering our customers a easy and cost-effective option to reduce their carbon footprint, as simple as choosing a different fuel pump at the service station, without having to make any modifications to their vehicles.”
In the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis has set the goal of reducing its CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030 compared to 2021 and then net zero emissions by 2038. According to the group, with the use of low-emission eFuel of carbon out of a total of up to 28 million vehicles would result in a potential reduction of up to 400 million tonnes of CO2 in Europe between 2025 and 2050.
For its part, Aramco is currently working on two demonstration plants to explore the concrete possibility of producing low-carbon synthetic fuels. In Saudi Arabia, Aramco and Enowa (Neom Energy and Water Company) are collaborating to demonstrate the feasibility of producing synthetic gasoline for light passenger vehicles. Meanwhile, in Bilbao, Spain, Aramco and Repsol are exploring the possibility of producing low-carbon synthetic diesel and automotive and aircraft fuel. Aramco is also working with racing teams and motorsport organizers to further test and demonstrate the potential of its low-carbon fuels as a drop-in replacement solution to reduce carbon emissions from internal combustion engine vehicles.
Source-www.adnkronos.com