McLaren is working to build a supercar with an internal combustion engine but powered by a synthetic fuel. “There are potential benefits in terms of emissions and practicality,” said Jens Ludmann, chief operating officer of the British brand.
A supercar driven by an engine fueled by synthetic fuel: this is the crazy idea McLaren had. The British manufacturer has decided to find a viable alternative to electric propulsion, lets see if they can succeed.
Mclaren not leaving combustion engines – Electric motor or alternative fuel? The discussion is long, numerous articles have been written and the definitive solution has not yet been found which probably does not even exist. The sure thing is that McLaren made its choice, deciding to focus strongly on a car, among other things a supercar, with a combustion engine but powered by synthetic fuel.
Jens Ludmann , chief operating officer of the British brand, unveiled this project: “ The technology relating to synthetic fuels is still under development, but if we consider that these can be produced using solar energy, which are easily transportable and that do not require modifications to the distributor pumps that we have today, there are potential advantages in terms of emissions and practicality that McLaren has decided to explore – he told the British magazine Autocar. Furthermore, to really evaluate the total CO2 impact of 100% electric vehicles, it is necessary to decide whether to count the production of batteries. Today’s engines would need only minor modifications and I would like to see a little more visibility in the media for this technology.”
“There are valid alternatives that everyone should consider, but it is still too difficult to say for sure how far synthetic fuel is from reaching the production reality, while battery technology is ready – added Ludmann. There is further potential, that of combining synthetic fuel with a hybrid system, which would make operation even cleaner.”
