The topic of eFuels has been pushed more into the spotlight by Formula 1’s drive to utilise a 100% sustainable drop-in fuel for its next generation of engines in 2026. This follows the World Rally Championship in 2022 introducing a blend of synthetic and biofuel, which it claims is 100% renewable, and for this season IndyCar introduced its own blend that uses second-generation ethanol derived from Brazilian sugarcane.
Huge investment is going into eFuels to keep internal combustion engines alive for longer, with the sale of new ICE cars due to be banned by the EU from 2035 unless they are running on synthetic fuels, and to reduce the carbon output of existing cars. Efforts to limit fossil fuel use is welcome, but are eFuels really the best way of doing this in motorsport?
