The new 911 GT3 Cup (992) makes its racing debut in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Monaco Grand Prix this weekend and it will be the first time the car’s 4-litre naturally aspirated engine will run on Esso Renewable Racing Fuel. Referred to as ‘eFuel’, this is a blend of fuels mostly made of lower carbon, renewable, bio-based components.
The first racetrack test of the Esso Renewable Racing Fuels was held 2 months ago at the Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands. As in the entire 2021 season, the first version of Esso Renewable Racing Fuels will be used there. This is mainly based on an advanced biofuel whose raw materials consist of organic waste. On this basis, an ExxonMobil team of scientists and engineers composed a racing fuel that, in initial tests, has shown the potential for significant reductions in CO2 emissions.
Second version to be used next year
In the course of the 2022 season, the two companies plan to use the second version of the Esso Renewable Racing Fuels which, for the most part consists of eFuels. These eFuels are the focus of the collaboration between ExxonMobil and Porsche. eFuels are synthetic fuels that are generated using renewable energy from hydrogen and carbon dioxide from the air.
With the eFuel-based Esso Renewable Racing Fuel, it is possible to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 85% if it complies with the current fuel standard according to the necessary blending. The eFuel comes from the Haru Oni pilot plant in Chile that generates hydrogen, which is then combined with captured carbon dioxide drawn from the atmosphere to produce methanol. ExxonMobil is providing a license and support for the proprietary technology to convert the methanol which will result in a lower-carbon fuel.
Future consumer adoption potential
In the pilot phase, over 130,000 litres of eFuels will be produced in 2022. Porsche and ExxonMobil are working together to gain valuable experiences to find pathways toward potential future consumer adoption. The switch to so-called eFuel is planned over the course of the 2022 season. As the main buyer of this fuel, Porsche will use the eFuels from Chile in the Porsche Experience Centres in addition to the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in the 2022 season.
“Purely electrically powered vehicles have the highest priority for us,” emphasized Michael Steiner, member of the Board of Management for Research and Development at Porsche. “eFuels complement our drive strategy perfectly. They offer our customers the option of driving cars with combustion engines and plug-in hybrids that are almost CO2-neutral. By working with ExxonMobil, we can test the eFuels under demanding conditions on the racetrack. We are thus taking another step on the way to a marketable and CO2-reduced eFuel that can replace conventional fuels.”
