European Federation for Transport & Environment

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Cars powered by synthetic fuel emit as much poisonous nitrogen oxides (NOx) as fossil fuel engines, new emissions testing shows. E-fuels, which are chemically similar to petrol and diesel and costly to produce, have been touted by the fossil fuel industry and car parts suppliers as a way to prolong the life of the internal combustion engine beyond zero-emissions targets. Green group Transport & Environment (T&E) said the tests confirm that using e-fuels in cars will do little to alleviate the air quality problems in our cities.

A car running on e-petrol emits equally high levels of toxic NOx as standard E10 EU petrol and much more carbon monoxide and ammonia, according to the tests by research organisation IFP Energies Nouvelles for T&E. While particle emissions are considerably reduced in the switch, more than two billion particles are still emitted for every kilometer driven in an e-petrol powered vehicle. The laboratory tests compared emissions from a car using petrol and three different blends of e-petrol.