Porsche will run an entire race series using only synthetic fuels

Porsche is serious about proving that its synthetic fuel is a viable alternative to gasoline in an increasingly electrified world. The company announced all of the cars that will compete in the 2024 Supercup series will burn the e-fuel it manufactures in a plant in southern Chile.

Held annually since 1993, Supercup is a one-make race series that follows the Formula One season. In 2024, up to 32 cars will compete in eight races across Europe. The cars are all identical: Participants drive a 911 GT3 Cup powered by a 3.6-liter flat-six that’s linked to a six-speed sequential transmission. It’s this engine, which was developed specifically for racing, that will burn e-fuel during the upcoming season.

Porsche makes several types of e-fuels in the Haru Oni plant it operates in the southern part of Chile; the location was chosen because it’s one of the windiest regions on the planet. The company notes that there’s no need to make any mechanical modifications before feeding the Supercup-bound cars its ready-for-racing e-fuel blend, though it points out that the engine control unit’s software needs to be updated.

There shouldn’t be a noticeable difference in performance, because the e-fuel was developed to offer the same properties as gasoline. The main difference is that it’s not a fossil fuel. I haven’t driven a Supercup-spec 911, but I spent a few days driving around Germany in classic 911s in 2023 and didn’t notice the cars were burning a blend of regular gasoline and e-fuels until someone told me. Even the older models with a carburetor accelerated and sounded the same, though if you smell the exhaust you can tell it’s a little different than you’re used to.

What’s the big deal with efuels?

Porsche played a significant role in saving the internal-combustion engine by pouring money into the e-fuel project. On the other side of the pond, regulators plan to make the sale of new piston-powered cars illegal in 2035. With hydrogen looking like a pipe dream, at least for cars, European motorists would have been left with one government-approved option: an electric car. That is, until e-fuels entered the equation.

Making the synthetic fuel that will power Porsche’s race cars requires two basic ingredients: water and carbon dioxide. The water is used to generate hydrogen via electrolysis, and this element reacts with the carbon dioxide to produce a substance called eMethanol. It’s then converted into raw gasoline, blended, and refined until it can be used in a car. Wind powers the plant in Chile, so there’s no need to burn a fossil fuel to make an alternative to another fossil fuel, and European regulators agreed to allow the sale of e-fuel-powered cars after 2035.