Porsche highlights the merits of synthetic fuels

Germany stalled the European Union's plan to ban the sale of cars powered by an internal-combustion engine in 2035. The nation argues that e-fuels can keep the piston-powered alive, and Porsche stands out as the carmaker that has done most of the heavily lifting to prove that this solution is viable; it notably operates an e-fuel plant in Chile. The company's top executive explained why e-fuels make sense.

Speaking during a conference call, Porsche boss Oliver Blume clarified that his team doesn't view synthetic fuels as a replacement for electric technology. "If the e-fuels are approved in the future, this will not change Porsche's strategy. At present, we really back this ramp-up of electrification which we have started, and we now see the great potential of our electric drives. This is the right approach," he told me.

What's the deal with e-fuels, then? One possible use case is what Blume calls "niche models." He stopped short of providing an example, but during the call he stressed that the 911 will retain its internal-combustion engine for as long as lawmakers allow it. If gasoline- and diesel-powered cars are outlawed in 2035 (in Europe, at least — it's important to clarify that no such ban has been floated in the United States yet), it's not unreasonable to assume that keeping a flat-six-powered 911 in production beyond that point will require relying on synthetic fuels.

It sounds like, in Porsche's view, a small percentage of the cars sold new in Europe after 2035 will be manufactured with a synthetic-fuel-powered engine. We're largely talking about high-end models such as the 911; folks in the market for, say, a city car will be stuck with an EV. However, new cars make up a small percentage of the cars on the road — even in a country like Germany. This is where the role of e-fuels becomes even more important. Blume singled out vintage cars. "I'm sure owners of such cars will be very happy that [this is offered]." This also partly explains why Porsche cares: the company previously pointed out that around 70% of the cars it has built are still on the road.