The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will run exclusively with eFuels that are potentially near-carbon-neutral for the first time this year.
The raw fuel comes from the Haru Oni pilot plant in Chile and is produced ready-for-racing through a so-called blending process.
The final product allows the 911 GT3 Cup vehicles in the Supercup to compete potentially almost CO₂-neutral.
In the past three years, a second-generation bio-based, partially synthetic fuel mixture was used in the sports car manufacturer’s top one-make series. Porsche says it is now taking the next step with its flagship project. The racing cars which, unlike their production counterparts, are equipped with manually programmed engine control units, will have an adapted software version installed before the event.
The season gets underway with the Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna in Imola on May 19, and concludes in Monza on September 1. During the season, the total fuel requirement for up to 32 Cup vehicles is around 50,000 litres.
Michael Steiner, board member for research and development at Porsche AG, said: “The Supercup is a beacon for us when it comes to eFuels. Motorsport has always been a driver of innovation – now also in terms of fuel. Through this project, we are taking further steps towards achieving our decarbonisation goals.
“If you look at the entire value chain, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup racing cars can race with eFuels in a potentially almost CO₂-neutral way. Here, the new fuel is used under the toughest conditions. To slow global warming, it is essential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions – this also applies to motorsport.”
eFuels are generated from renewable hydrogen and carbon dioxide from the air thanks to the use of renewable energy. This initially creates eMethanol which, taken one step further, is then converted into synthetic raw gasoline.
The Haru Oni project, located in Patagonia, obtains the energy for this process from wind power. The carbon dioxide currently comes from a biogenic source. In the future, it will be extracted directly from the atmosphere in an environmentally friendly manner using an innovative direct air capture process (DAC). Porsche is working on a “proof of concept” DAC system with the Volkswagen Group, its efuel partner HIF Global and MAN Energy Solutions. The aim is to show that the process can be implemented industrially.
“In our view, DAC is an important new technology for the future – particularly for energy extraction,” said Barbara Frenkel, executive board member for procurement at Porsche. “Pure CO₂ can be used for industrial processes or permanently stored in the ground. The eFuels produced in this way can help achieve our goals to decarbonise motorsport. We will continue to support our partner HIF in increasing the quantities of eFuels available.”
