Swiss Startup Launches Solar Gasoline At Fossil Fuel Industry

If US President Donald Trump really wants to do his friends in the fossil fuel industry any favors, he’s going to have to try a lot harder. The global economy is moving into a new, low-carbon industrial era with or without any help from the former British colonies. The latest example comes from Switzerland, where the startup Synhelion has just showcased its new “solar gasoline” on a tour of the mountains, in the gas tank of a classic 1985 Audi Sport quattro.

What Is This Solar Gasoline Of Which You Speak?

If “solar gasoline” brings the e-fuels industry to mind, that’s close but no cigar. The emerging category of e-fuels, or electrofuels, generally refers to liquid fuels synthesized with green hydrogen, which is produced from water in electrolysis systems that run on electricity from renewable resources. Synhelion also uses renewable energy as the foundation of its system. However, the company deploys renewable energy — specifically, solar energy — in the form of heat.

The company’s integrated process focuses on deploying solar energy to produce syngas (synthetic gas composed of hydrogen and carbon monoxide) from biogas and water, through a thermochemical reaction. The reaction requires high heat, which is where the solar angle comes in. In effect, the syngas stores solar energy for later use, as a standard input for synthetic liquid fuels, including kerosene jet fuel as well as gasoline and diesel. “Such Sun-to-Liquid fuel closes the CO₂ cycle, as it releases only as much CO₂ during its combustion as was previously used for its production,” Synhelion states.

From Solar Gasoline To Solar Jet Fuel

As with e-fuels produced by water electrolysis, the result of Synhelion’s process is a drop-in replacement for fossil-based liquid fuels. That angle is particularly important in the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) movement. Conventional bio-based jet fuels have struggled mightily to qualify for use in aircraft. Currently they can be blended with traditional jet fuel, but they have yet to break through on a drop-in basis.

Aviation stakeholders have indicated that there is an economic case to be made for SAFs produced through the e-fuels pipeline. Synhelion provides SAF stakeholders with another option. The company surfaced on the CleanTechnica radar earlier this year with an SAF version of its solar fuel, produced at a facility in Spain.

A High Profile Solar Gasoline Showcase

The argument for replacing gasoline in an automobile with Synhelion’s solar gasoline is another kettle of fish, which explains the Audi Sport quattro showcase last month.

Synhelion used the occasion of the Supercar Owners Circle Classic Andermatt event in Switzerland last month to put its solar gasoline through its paces. The aim was to demonstrate that the company’s solar gasoline can replace its fossil-sourced counterpart without any modifications to an automobile — and without damage to the engine or any other part of a uniquely precious auto, of course.

“The 1985 Audi Sport quattro, part of the AMAG Classic car collection, became the first vehicle in history to run on solar gasoline produced at Synhelion’s industrial-scale plant DAWN in Jülich, Germany,” Synhelion pronounced in a press release on July 3.

“For the first time, we’ve shown that solar fuel can power a car in real-world conditions. It proves that our technology is ready for the road and that even iconic internal combustion engines can have a role in a green future,” added Synhelion Co-CEO and Co-Founder Philipp Furler.

What Is The Supercar Owners Circle?

For the record, the Supercar Owners Circle (SOC) is an exclusive network of auto collectors, recently acquired by the duPont Registry Group. Here’s what they had to say in the runup to last month’s Andermatt event:

“While SOC Classic, as the name implies, centers around vintage and classic metal like the Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing, Porsche 356, air-cooled 911s (including restomods), Alfa Romeos, Lancias, and old-school Ferraris, the mix of cars that showed up this year spanned several eras…Think Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari 512, F40, F50, Superamerica, and more.”

During the event, the solar-gassed Audi was driven by AMAG Group CEO Helmut Ruhl, who provided his feedback to the media. “What struck me most was how normal it felt — no difference compared to fossil gasoline, except for the significantly lower carbon emissions,” Ruhl stated.

“The car’s historic drive marks the debut of solar gasoline as a viable, drop-in fuel for existing internal combustion engines. No modifications were made to the Audi’s original 306 hp engine, demonstrating the compatibility of Synhelion’s renewable synthetic fuel with today’s vehicles and infrastructure,” Synhelion emphasized.

AMAG Loves Synthetic Fuels

SOC aside, AMAG is also a high profile showcase for synthetic fuels. The company, which bills itself as the biggest automotive firm in Switzerland, owns a mouthwatering collection of historic gasmobiles. AMAG also sells and services exceptional cars through its Classic division, and it is a Synhelion investor and customer, too.

Although AMAG states that it has no hearsay knowledge of any incompatibility between synthetic fuels and classic car engines, the company also notes that anecdotal evidence regarding compatibility is scanty. In order to reassure itself, and its classic car customers, the company recently engaged in a research effort to gather more data. “It was clear to us that the majority of owners of valuable classic cars would not embark on adventures with unexplored fuels,” explains the head of AMAG’s Classic division, Dino Graf.

The study was conducted by Empa (the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology), with support from the Swiss oil company Motorex. The study included extended engine component testing long with road tests and performance measurements on selected cars. “The result: Even classic cars can be operated in a climate-friendly manner in the future, as synthetic gasoline can be used safely in older engines,” AMAG reported.

Next Steps For Solar Gasoline

Synhelion began producing began producing fuels in quantity at the DAWN facility last year, and it has been busy since then. In addition to the classic car showcase and the SAF project in Spain, the company has fueled a motorcycle with its solar gasoline, and it has been pitching solar diesel as a drop-in replacement for steamboat engines.

The DAWN facility is located in Jülich, Germany. The output is only a few thousand liters per year, but that’s enough for the company to scout the globe for more opportunities to showcase its solar fuels.

Meanwhile, over here in the US…oh, never mind. If you have some thoughts to share about recent events over here in the former British colonies, drop a note in the comment thread. Better yet, find your representatives in Congress and let them know what you think.

Image (screenshot): A very valuable classic car gasses up with “solar gasoline,” demonstrating that advanced renewable fuels can replace conventional gas on a drop-in basis (courtesy of Synhelion via YouTube).