EG Fuels & Energy

Motivation

Whereas most of today’s automotive fuels are produced from petroleum oil there is a compelling need for diversifying fuel supplies, and for increasing the use of sustainable fuel and energy systems: these will offer a CO2 reduction potential on a well-to-wheel basis, will be least polluting, and will essentially be based on renewable energy resources.

Motor fuels have a key impact on technical and environmental performances of vehicles, notably engines and aftertreatment systems. As the introduction of new, sustainable fuels requires the adaptation of power trains as well as of the vehicle fuel distribution system, the automobile industry has an important role to play in enhancing the use of alternative fuels, to enable a timely and smooth transition to future fuels in cooperation with the fuel industry.

Research Objectives

EUCAR EG Fuels focuses its research activities on identifying fuel requirements for future power trains, and on assessing the potential of new/alternative fuels in Europe in the medium and long-term.

For this purpose EUCAR EG Fuels proposes research studies, and, based on agreed priorities (at the EUCAR/ACEA level), prepares, and monitors collaborative research and strategic funded projects (e.g. well-to-wheel analysis), the results of which are widely available for the EU bodies, the industry and the public.

Strategic Vision

  • The changes that are required to secure a sustainable road transport system for the future represent an immense challenge for the automotive and the energy industry and can only be reached in an evolutionary process without abrupt changes.
  • Given cycle time scales of the vehicle and energy industry,  fossil fuels and conventional power trains will be dominant in the near to mid-term future. For heavy long distance transport applications (trucks and buses), this may even be the case in the longer term future.
  • However, the need for reducing CO2 emissions in the short to medium term, and for securing energy supplies will lead to the increasing penetration of alternative fuels including those biofuels that can be produced and used in a sustainable way.
  • If electricity and hydrogen can be produced competitively from renewable sources they could be potential sustainable energy carriers (depending on the progress in developing efficient and durable batteries), and have significant market penetration in the long-term.