You might think an automaker would be the last to give up on gasoline. But instead of waiting for oil prices to rise and supplies to dwindle, Audi is developing a petroleum-free alternative fuel called e-benzin. The synthetic fuel is derived from renewable materials.
Project partners include France’s Global Bioenergies, which harvests isobutane from renewable materials, and the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes, which refines it using hydrogen.
The trio are working toward making the fuel from only water, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and sunlight. The shift toward petroleum-free fuels expands Audi’s oil-free initiatives beyond the company’s e-gas program, which uses wind energy from the North Sea, and its A3 g-tron natural gas powered car.
Image source: hngn