Audi is driving down carbon emissions with a diesel made of nothing but air
If zooming around London in your flashy Audi seems to annoy the people on the streets around you, at least you'll soon be doing the environment a big favour.
The German car maker has created a new kind of “carbon neutral” diesel at its research centre in Dresden, made using nothing but three components of air – hydrogen, water and carbon dioxide.
The benefits are manifold – its ingredients are raw and in abundance, it absorbs carbon dioxide that might otherwise ruin our precious planet, and the fumes it releases through combustion are much less harmful than those released by fossil fuels..
"The engine runs quieter and fewer pollutants are being created," said Sunfire Chief Technology Officer Christian von Olshausen in a press release.
The future of Blue Crude
Audi partnered with plant operator Sunfire to make the fuel, and the plan is to pump 160 litres of the synthetic fuel out of the Dresden plant each day during the coming months.
Known as “Blue Crude”, it is the first diesel ever created without the presence of any sulphur or fossil fuels, and they know the fuel works because it's already being used to power the Audi A8.
It's going to be a while before enough fuel is produced to have a large impact on the market, but once production is scaled up, Audi and Sunfire estimate the e-diesel will be sold to the public for between €1 and €1.50 per litre.
Johanna Wanka, Federal Minister of Education and Research, said:
This synthetic diesel, made using carbon dioxide, is a huge success for our sustainability research. If we can make widespread use of carbon dioxide as a raw material, we will make a crucial contribution to climate protection and the efficient use of resources, and put the fundamentals of the green economy in place.