Audi E-Fuels Project Is Harnessing Air, Water, and Green Electricity

In the ever-growing demand for greener fuels and cars with lower CO₂ emissions, Audi is answering the call. The manufacturer opened a new plant with partners Climeworks and Sunfire sharing one goal: developing e-diesel from water, CO2 and green electricity.

The plant opened in Dresden, Germany on November 14^th, 2014. Audi hopes to prove that the generation of e-fuels is a possibility. The plant operates by extracting CO₂ from the air using Climeworks direct air capturing technology.

Separately, "an electrolysis unit powered with green electricity splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is then reacted with the carbon dioxide in two chemical processes conducted at 220 degrees Celsius and a pressure of 25 bar to produce an energetic liquid, made up of hydrocarbon compounds, which is called Blue Crude." That process, crucial to the Audi e-fuels project, can be up to 70% effective.

The plant produces 160 liters of Blue Crude everyday. Eighty percent of that has the possibility of being converted to e-diesel. It has a very high octane number (meaning it’s very combustible) so it can be used as a drop-in fuel by blending with a fossil diesel.

Here at Jim Ellis Audi Marietta, we are excited to see our brand making strides toward a zero-emissions auto industry.