If Bosch has its way, the internal combustion engine will stick around for a long time.
The automotive parts supplier has created a manufacturing process for synthetic fuel that allows ICEs to be carbon-neutral. The net result could be a reduction of 2.8 gigatons of CO2 in Europe by the year 2050. It hopes to get automakers on board to make the fuel a reality.
Bosch’s process sees greenhouse gas turned into a raw material which can then be turned into petrol, diesel or natural gas.
“Up until recently, a carbon-neutral combustion engine was the stuff of dreams. Now it may soon become reality. The secret lies in synthetic, or carbon-neutral, fuels, whose manufacturing process captures CO2.
“Synthetic fuels can make gasoline- and diesel-powered cars carbon-neutral, and thus make a significant contribution to limiting global warming,” chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, Dr Volkmar Denner said.
If a synthetic fuel for a hybrid was developed using renewable energy, Bosch says that over a distance of 160,000 km, the cost of ownership of the hybrid could actually be cheaper than the running costs of an all-electric car.
Note: Bosch has informed us that there’s no guarantee it itself will develop a unique synthetic fuel but rather wants the industry to work together on the technology.
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