Alcohol instead of electric?
In Europe, a change in transport almost always means electromobility. But now an approach is coming out of Brazil that is supposed to power vehicles with ethanol. An unusual technology that, with the support of major car companies, could become a solid solution for a more environmentally friendly transport world.
Researchers from all over the world are constantly searching for alternative forms of propulsion, for fuels that can be both economical and sustainable in use. While in Europe and Asia the research and development efforts of many companies are mainly focused on electromobility and hydrogen, a new alternative is, however, taking its first steps in Brazil. The country's ethanol industry is working with the automotive industry to explore the possibilities and climate potential of alternative biofuels. The main goal and focus of the project? To develop hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell cars that run on alcohol biofuel - with little environmental impact, on paper.
But the Brazilian approach is not completely sustainable either. Although the Brazilians point out that so-called flex-fuel combustion engines that use hydrous ethanol "emit only 58 g/km of CO2", experts calculate carbon dioxide emissions of at least 87 g/km of CO2. Which is ultimately less than a conventional hybrid electric car - but still more than the zero emissions that pure e-cars emit while driving. However, the potential of the ethanol approach is great. This is because it is also based on the assumption that electric vehicles - due to the still strong involvement of fossil fuels in the majority of energy mixes - in fact also have negative environmental impacts. Impacts that, according to researchers, can be avoided by an optimised ethanol-based biofuel. Especially in a country like Brazil, where extreme electricity costs and inadequate charging infrastructure would severely hinder vehicles with electric motors from complete transport electrification, despite increasing stock. Only 350 e-charging points are currently available in the whole of Brazil, for example.
On the other hand, companies like Toyota and Nissan in Brazil are already focusing on the production of ethanol-powered cars, as well as on the conversion of some models - such as the Corolla series. A reduction in emissions to an average of 29 g/km of carbon dioxide can be expected, explains founder and chairman of the agricultural analysis group Datagro Plinio Nastari. To achieve this, he also plans to combine ethanol-based solutions with hydrogen technology. The aim is to bring clean bio-fuel cell drives to the market. That these will not get a significant market share, however, is the assumption of the e-mobility association ABVE, which continues to see electric engines as the future of the car world.
A strategy that is certainly driven by market interests - just as the ethanol industry is driven by its goals. A tension, however, that in the best case could lead to the development of a competitive ecological engine. If the project bears fruit and invites mass production of ethanol car models, alcohol could revolutionise Brazilian transport - with potential implications for the green transport transition of many other countries.