Mazda has also invested heavily in e-fuels as the first car maker to join the e-Fuel Alliance, a lobby organisation comprising oil companies, car makers and others.
In December 2022, the Japanese manufacturer used an e-fuel made from agricultural waste by UK firm Coryton to drive an unmodified 2.0-litre MX-5 convertible some 1000 miles between England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, averaging 45.6mpg.
For reference, a 2.0-litre Mazda MX-5 officially averages 40.9mpg on petrol on the WLTP combined test cycle.
Coryton director David Richardson said: “It’s a solution that performs incredibly well, works with our existing vehicles and has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of CO2 we currently release compared to traditional fossil fuels.”
Whether e-fuels offer a sufficient reduction in emissions to justify their use post-2035 is still under question. As detailed above, Porsche’s e-fuel is only “nearly” CO2-neutral, reducing CO2 emissions by 85% compared with petrol, according to Walliser.
Considering that the EU’s 2035 ban on sales of new ICE vehicles is designed to support the bloc’s ambition to be completely carbon-neutral by 2050, a permanent exemption for e-fuels in their current form is unlikely. However, they could be used to prolong the use of ICE vehicles while still making progress towards climate targets.
