Green Fuel, Not Lantern

Although the picture shown here might bring to mind the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum power source for the Green Lantern Corps (OK, we had to stretch to find that, but this really is a rather sci-fi looking imagine), it is actually a look through a quartz glass window in a test engine that Audi engineers in Ingolstadt are using in their development of “e-fuels,” both e-ethanol and e-diesel.

These fuels are not bio-mass based (i.e., not corn, corn husks, or anything that closely resembles foodstuff for man or beasts) , but actually start with specifically developed micro-organisms that undergo photosynthesis.

The scientists and engineers working on the new fuels have determined that the composition of the e-fuels are more consistent than conventional fossil fuels. They do not contain any olefins or aromatic hydrocarbons; this means cleaner combustion and lower emissions.

While Audi is pursuing electrically powered vehicles, these fuels are another alternative. “Our test shows that as well as electric driving on renewable electricity, there are other concepts that permit long-distance, low-emission driving,” commented Reiner Mangold, Head of Sustainable Product Development at Audi, and these fuels are among those other concepts.

And the picture is just really cool.