BERLIN, Germany – While most manufacturers are set to go fully or mostly electric by 2030, a few are working towards preserving our beloved, internal-combustion engine. Porsche is among those car manufacturers that aim to de-carbonize traditional motoring, and so far, the German automaker has invested over $100.0 million in e-Fuels.

The European Commission, which is the executive body of the European Union, recently included synthetic fuels as an exception to the proposed ban on internal-combustion engines, said to take effect in 2035. Porsche seems to have figured out an ingenious way to keep the internal-combustion engine alive by replacing liquid dinosaurs with carbon-neutral, synthetic fuels. But how exactly does it work, will we be able to get it sooner rather than later, and should we put our trust in it, these are the questions we will address below.

There are a couple of reasons why synthetic fuels make sense, not just for Porsche, but for a wider spectrum of transportation, not limited to the automotive. On a smaller scale, Porsche says producing EVs is more expensive compared to combustion-powered vehicles and fully-converting its entire lineup to electricity will take too long. E-Fuels are another way of accelerating the process of de-carbonizing the brand’s lineup.

Moreover, Porsche’s flagship model, the 911, is one of the most revered sports cars ever made and has a cult following. Fans and owners of the model, regardless of whether air-cooled or water-cooled, are keen on the 911’s heritage, and leaving the rear-engine model combustion-powered is one way of preserving that heritage. Moreover, the Porsche 911 currently accounts for 13 percent of the brand’s sale, which is more than the Porsche Taycan’s 11 percent, and that’s the most successful EV, made by a legacy automaker.

E-Fuels can also be utilized in marine and aviation transport. While so far, electricity is proving to be a viable alternative to fossil fuels in the automotive sector, it wouldn’t work nearly as good in marine and aviation applications. Battery-electric propulsion delivers less-than-ideal results in these applications, mostly, due to the weight of ships and airplanes. With that said synthetic fuels seem to be a more universal solution than electric propulsion, even though it will not completely replace electricity.

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