Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars to run on eFuel at one-make race

The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars competing at the upcoming Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will be powered by electro-fuel (eFuel).

According to the German carmaker, the cars competing at the Porsche one-make race series will run on fully synthetic fuel produced using renewable energy. Initially formed as eMethanol, it is then converted into synthetic raw gasoline.

The Haru Oni pilot plant in Chile uses wind power for the abovementioned process. Located in Patagonia, the said facility takes advantage of the plentiful and inexpensive wind.

The carbon dioxide currently comes from a biogenic source.

In the future, it will be extracted directly from the atmosphere in an environmentally friendly manner using an innovative direct air capture process (DAC).

“The Supercup is also a beacon for us when it comes to eFuels. Motorsport has always been a driver of innovation – now also in terms of fuel. Through this project, we are taking further steps towards achieving our decarbonization goals,” Porsche Research and Development Board Member Michael Steiner noted.

“If you look at the entire value chain, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup racing cars can race with eFuels in a potentially almost CO2 (carbon dioxide)-neutral way. Here, the new fuel is used under the toughest conditions. To slow global warming, it is essential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions — this also applies to motorsport,” he added.

The near-carbon-neutral fuel will power the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup vehicles when the first race of the series kicks off from May 17-20 at Imola, Italy. During the season, the total fuel requirement for up to 32 Cup vehicles is around 50,000 liters.

According to the Stuttgart-headquartered company, the race cars that will run on the said eFuel will be equipped with manually programmed engine control units and will have a newly adapted software version.

Photos from Porsche

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