Neither diesel nor gasoline, how much do neutral fuels cost?

The days of diesel and gasoline are numbereds. The European Union has proposed that by 2035 the sales of diesel and gasoline cars, as well as hybrids and plug-in hybrids, should cease. Many manufacturers have already proposed that their entire range, and all their sales, be electric cars even before that year.

But on the other hand, neutral synthetic fuels seem to have become the salvation of internal combustion engines. The European Union has opened up to considering, at least, that cars with an internal combustion engine can be marketed beyond 2035, as long as they are neutral internal combustion or, in other words, use neutral fuels that provide a net emission of CO_two null.

Is that possible? How much do neutral fuels cost and will they cost?

The only future of internal combustion beyond 2035 lies in neutral synthetic fuels

Haru Oni ​​Neutral Synthetic Fuel Production Plant.

So are neutral fuels

In our guide on neutral fuels we have already detailed what they consist of, and the advantages and disadvantages of these non-fossil fuels and that are produced by processes in which CO is captured_two of the air, or the emission of CO is saved_two treating waste, equivalent to CO_two that will be produced in its combustion.

These fuels are based on the game of applying the net value of CO_two. If CO is captured_two or a CO emission is saved_two equivalent to that produced in its combustion, neutrality will have been reached. The use of this fuel will not contribute to an increase in the emission of CO_two globally, although it will generate local emissions that affect local pollution.

Among other solutions to produce neutral synthetic fuels, we have seen different projects that manufacture a fuel with characteristics very similar to those of the usual diesel, or gasoline, using renewable energy, CO capture technologies_two air, waste processing and organic matter, and also vegetable matter (biofuels).

Neutral fuels are based on capturing or saving more CO emissions_two in its production, than those that will be produced in its combustion

How much will neutral fuels cost?

Porsche, one of the manufacturers that has invested the most in neutral synthetic fuels, pointed out that in a few years, when the technology is more developed, synthetic fuels could be around 2 euros per liter. The biggest criticisms of this technology reside in the existing difficulty to produce synthetic fuels in sufficient volumes to be a real alternative for gasoline and diesel vehicles in circulation and also in the high cost that they could reach.

With a price above 2 euros per liter, without a doubt, at least this last problem would have been solved.

Porsche estimates that neutral fuels will cost €2/litre, but currently some partially neutral fuels (up to 90%) are already on the market, costing around €2.75/litre

How much do neutral fuels cost?

Today some European service stations are already serving neutral or at least partially neutral fuels. This is the case of Neste MY Renewable Diesel, a synthetic alternative to diesel, produced with biofuels (in different proportions). According to the criteria used to quantify its neutrality or, rather, the emissions that have been saved and the CO_two that has been captured by the vegetables that are cultivated to produce the raw material necessary to manufacture this fuel, the neutrality of the Neste MY fuel could reach up to 90%. This means that 90% of CO emissions_two produced in its combustion have already been neutralized in its production.

Today the Neste MY diesel is available at some service stations in the Netherlands. To get an idea, regular diesel is currently being refueled at €1.9/litre, while premium diesel is at €1.99/litre. With these prices, Neste MY diesel is being sold at €2.75 a liter. Or in other words, it is €0.85/liter more expensive than regular diesel and €0.76/liter more expensive than premium diesel. We stress that partially or fully neutral fuels remain expensive to produce and are produced in limited quantities.

Without the legal imperative of having to use these fuels. The use of partially neutral diesels such as these contributes, for example, to individuals trying to reduce their impact or their carbon footprint. But above all, fleets of large companies and logistics companies can reduce their carbon footprint without having to replace their entire fleet of vehicles.