16 March 2023
Pat Symonds, Formula One’s technical officer, has stated that the sustainable fuel set to be used in 2026 will not achieve its sustainability through Offsetting.
He said, ‘Offsetting has a very bad reputation, and it’s not surprising as it has not been terribly honest. So, we want to show we’re doing it in the correct way.’
The fuel will be trialled in F2 and F3 from the 2024 season.
Proponents of e-fuels say they are renewable electricity converted into a combustible, liquid fuel using CO2 captured from the atmosphere.
Critics say that e-fuels are a waste of renewable energy and should be saved for harder-to-decarbonise uses.
Whatever the situation, Porsche and Ferrari are among car manufacturers seeking an exception to the rule for synthetic e-fuels from the EU’s planned combustion engine ban.
The European Union has offered an e-fuel exemption to Germany in a bid to save the combustion car ban.
A declaration would change the rules determining what kinds of cars can drive in Europe after a ban on new combustion engine automobiles enters into force.
