Filed under: Hybrids/AlternativeA
consortium of automakers and fuel suppliers launched the Alliance for Synthetic Fuels in Europe (ASFE) Tuesday to carry
forward their vision of sustainable mobility in Europe.The objectives of ASFE are to investigate and promote
synthetic fuels as part of the solution for reducing dependence on oil, as well as a way to reduce vehicle emissions and
increase energy efficiency. ASFE defines synthetic fuels as a new generation of near-zero sulfur and
aromatics fuels made from natural gas (gas-to-liquid, or GTL), coal (CTL) or biomass (BTL). GTL is a practical solution
today, with a number of plants under construction. BTL is still in the R&D stage. Although GTL fuels have a similar
greenhouse gas impact to petroleum fuels, BTL offers the potential for a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions.Synthetic fuels are attractive because they are completely compatible with existing diesel
engines and fuel distribution infrastructure. ASFE is apparently touting synthetic fuels as Europe’s solution to
reducing its petroleum dependency, in contrast to the U.S. government’s promotion of ethanol.Members of the
ASFE are DaimlerChrysler, Renault, Shell, Sasol Chevron and Volkswagen. [Source: Renault]Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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