Stellantis says 24 of its engine types can run on e-fuels

PARIS -- Stellantis says that tests found that 24 of its engine families in Europe are compatible with e-fuels without modifications to the powertrain.

The e-fuels, which can be created synthetically using captured carbon dioxide and renewable energy such as solar or wind power, have been proposed as a zero-emissions solution for internal-combustion engines.

This year, the European Union opened a legal exemption for vehicles running on e-fuels to remain on sale beyond the 2035 deadline for the phasing out of carbon dioxide-emitting cars.

Stellantis said this week that it tested the engines with e-fuels provided by Saudi Aramco, which is also working with Renault Group on them. Other supporters of e-fuels include Porsche, which is financing a pilot production site in Chile, and Ferrari.

The tests on 28 engine types produced since 2014 were announced in April. A Stellantis spokesperson said that four of the 28 engine types tested are still awaiting validation.

Stellantis said that the 24 engine types it identified as compatible with e-fuels represent about 28 million vehicles on the roads in Europe. It said that the use of low-carbon e-fuels in as many as 28 million vehicles could reduce Europe's CO2 emissions by up to 400 million metric tons between 2025 and 2050.

Low-carbon e-fuel has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions from existing internal combustion vehicles by at least 70 percent on a life cycle basis compared with conventional fuels, Stellantis said.

The scenarios presented, however, are theoretical given that they rely on car owners opting to use e-fuels rather than conventional fuels.

The group has targets to halve its carbon footprint from 2021 levels by 2030 and become carbon net zero by 2038.

Detractors of e-fuels say they are too expensive for mass adoption, and that the limited amounts of  renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power should be used for applications other than passenger cars. They also say that money invested in e-fuels would be better used for electrification.

Reuters contributed to this report