Toyota is looking towards synthetic fuel as a way to save the internal combustion engine. Naoyuki Sakamoto, the chief engineer of the Toyota GR Corolla, spoke at the car’s launch about the company’s work with so-called “eFuels” as an alternative to internal combustion engines. Porsche has also invested in the technology and its production, with plans to build an eFuels plant in Tasmania by the end of the decade. However, eFuels currently cost up to 100 times more than conventional unleaded petrol. Sakamoto believes more car manufacturers need to embrace eFuels, alongside electric vehicles, for it to become a viable alternative. He cited the biggest advantage of eFuels as being that they can be used in existing petrol-powered cars without modification, meaning millions of vehicles could switch to a carbon-neutral alternative without major changes.
Despite the advantages, the high cost of eFuels remains a significant obstacle. Sakamoto called for more car companies to support the technology to bring down the costs, admitting the current political landscape in several key markets, notably the European Union, which will ban all internal combustion vehicles by 2035, is making it tough. Porsche’s commitment to building an eFuels plant in Tasmania will help promote the technology’s adoption.
Sakamoto hopes to extend the life of Toyota’s Gazoo Racing range of performance cars by making eFuels mainstream. The brand has only just launched the GR Corolla hot hatch to go along with the GR Yaris and GR86, and Sakamoto wants to do what he can to ensure the 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine in the hot hatches lives on beyond one product cycle. However, no future direction for the GR models has been locked in yet, with several options, including electric power and hydrogen fuel, under evaluation.
Toyota and Porsche both see synthetic fuels as a way to extend the life of the internal combustion engine, even as the electric vehicle market continues to grow. While eFuels are currently expensive, their use in existing petrol-powered cars without modification makes them a viable alternative for millions of vehicles. By collaborating with more car manufacturers, the technology’s costs could decrease, making it more accessible.
