[American Graffiti '55]

Check it out...

Porsche Claims Its Synthetic Fuel Could Make Combustion Engines As Clean As EVs

 

[nad427]

Sounds exciting, but all I see now is a bunch of claims and talk. Not putting it down but where’s the explanation of what it actually is, and what it’s source materials are? If it’s real and becomes produced I hope the octane level is really high. I’m a fan of really high compression.

 

[angs1957]

Bring t ion if it per sways the bean counters that this is achievable that's great marketing

 

[chrs191815]

People have run engines on all sorts of wierd fuel, even water. Anything is possible. Companies just have to invest time into it rather than subcumming to just electric.

 

[Churchkey]

The Germans were trying to develop a synthetic fuel before we bombed their fuel dumps in WW11.
Hope they get it done this time around.

 

[Robert Haas]

Sounds like yet another attempt to label methanol as something it ain't.

 

[davidc]

Over the years "big oil" (and it's investors) has stopped anything that would save "us" money, or be good for the environment.

 

[57R’villeHT]

Kind of sounds like all those drop in R12 equivalents that were going to replace the original R12 refrigerant.

 

[1971BB427]

His statement about it taking a heck of a lot of time and money starts off poorly for me. I can envision a replacement fuel that only millionaires can afford to buy.

 

[Rick_L]

Just speculating, the synthetic fuel might be an offshoot of the fuel research done for Formula 1 racing in the past. Which indeed might make it an expensive proposition. The article gave no hints on the chemical makeup of this "green" fuel.

If you think about it, synthetic oil is still carbon based - "green" synthetic fuel possibly wouldn't be - so probably no relationship there.

 

[Bilaire]

The big drive now is imitation meat to eliminate growing Cow, Pigs, chickens etc..

They already have an imitation hamburger.

Maybe we should have imitation food or maybe we should even break the habit of eating.

 

[55 Tony]

Over the years "big oil" (and it's investors) has stopped anything that would save "us" money, or be good for the environment.

Do you mean like the good old "100 mpg carburetors" that the big guys squashed? Do people still believe that stuff?

 

[55 Tony]

If they figure out a cheap and green way to make hydrogen for in cars, that will be the way to go. I think that's a lot further along than "synthetic gas" that they haven't even made a drop of yet.

 

[jf55]

The big drive now is imitation meat to eliminate growing Cow, Pigs, chickens etc..

They already have an imitation hamburger.

Maybe we should have imitation food or maybe we should even break the habit of eating.

The called it Soylent Green in the 70's movie. Cookies made out of people! That will be the new food!

 

[ETriggs]

We have a research group at my university that works on internal combustion fuels, mostly bio-based. I don't see internal combustion going away any time in my lifetime (I'm 47) but a shift to bio-based fuels. It needs to come from waste materials, that's part of the problem with corn to ethanol is that you're growing your fuel from scratch. That involves a huge amount of water, fertilizer, etc to make it into fuel and the life cycle analysis gets less "green." Brazil makes their ethanol from waste sugar cane stalks. That's the way to do it.

 

[TooBadBrad]

My Nephew works at a major refinery here in CA. They are currently shut down and are converting the entire refinery over to make synthetic diesel. Not Bio, synthetic! He had to sign a bunch of non disclosure agreements so He can't give me any details. They have already done one plant in Texas successfully.This is a drop in fuel, no engine modifications needed.
Game changer indeed!

 

[davidc]

My Nephew works at a major refinery here in CA. They are currently shut down and are converting the entire refinery over to make synthetic diesel. Not Bio, synthetic! He had to sign a bunch of non disclosure agreements so He can't give me any details. They have already done one plant in Texas successfully.This is a drop in fuel, no engine modifications needed.
Game changer indeed!

But if it's made from our food supply see what happens...

 

[Robert Haas]

My Nephew works at a major refinery here in CA. They are currently shut down and are converting the entire refinery over to make synthetic diesel. Not Bio, synthetic! He had to sign a bunch of non disclosure agreements so He can't give me any details. They have already done one plant in Texas successfully.This is a drop in fuel, no engine modifications needed.
Game changer indeed!

What I understand is that Synthetic diesel is still a petroleum derivative. Much like synthetic lubrication oils.