Synthetic fuels, the production and burning of which is CO2-neutral, have the potential to make combustion drives more environmental friendly. The technology company Continental has now successfully conducted tests on a synthetic fuel called oxymethylene ether (OME) in test vehicles. This includes the super clean electrified diesel vehicle presented this year, which operates even more cleanly using an OME admixture. Overall, the current Continental road tests have confirmed that diesel fuel containing 15 per cent OME admixture for current diesel engines is already a technically safe and viable possibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

This is possible because CO2 generated as exhaust gas in power stations or steel works can be used in the production of OME. This intelligent linking of energy management, chemistry and automotive sectors enables synthetic fuels such as OME to create a clean bridging technology on the road toward pure electric mobility. The research and use of synthetic fuels, which has been actively conducted by Continental for many years, contributes to achieving future targets for CO2 reduction in the transport sector (cars and commercial vehicles) as well as the less than 2°C global warming target of the Paris Agreement.

“Synthetic fuels contribute to CO2-neutral mobility. For instance, OME produces almost no soot when burned,” said Dr. Oliver Maiwald, head of Technology and Innovation at Continental’s Powertrain division. “Continental is therefore actively promoting vehicle technology for the use of synthetic fuels. Our objective is to create a transition phase in which normal driving does not contribute to climate change. We have made most progress with OME for diesel applications.