Trump's firmly wants America to focus back on fossil fuels that has many known issues that has not only proven to cause many health effects to humans, wildlife, as well as cause lots of disasters from oil catastrophes and so on. While this can keep the same issues going that we see and hear about today it seem we may have a replacement that seems to not be heard much about and that replacement is called Electrofuels (E-fuels for short)
The advantages with E-fuels are Reduced harmful emissions, Lower carbon footprint compared to oil-based fuels, Environmentally and climate-friendly, Fast and versatile use, User-friendliness and convenience. The tech behind the making of the new E-fuel collecting carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide to make the fuels. Carbon dioxide (for example) can be extracted from three different sources: from ambient air (direct air capture), from point sources such as power plants (carbon capture and utility) or from biomass (which is the most direct air and biomass are the most environmentally/climate friendly practices of extracting Carbon dioxide and Carbon monoxide). While electric vehicles offer many advantages in city centers and for commuters, electric mobility is still reaching its limits in rural regions without a developed charging infrastructure. Fleet operators can continue to use their existing vehicle fleet and benefit from the ecological advantages at the same time.
With that in mind I'm left to wonder, collecting 2 different pollutants that is causing SO MANY issues for humans (including communities of less prominent areas, ghettoes) causing air quality to drop and making breathing harder for people who have existing medical issues can be converted into a fuel we ALL can put in our cars to help reduce our automotive carbon footprint? how did this happen and why are we not doing this everywhere RIGHT NOW? Its Business...........
sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/climate/trump-clean-energy-republican-states.html
https://fleethouse.com/en/e-fuels-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-synthetic-fuels-for-the-vehicle-fleet/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01032-7#:~:text=E-fuels%20promise%20to%20replace%20fossil%20fuels%20with%20renewable,fragile%20climate%20effectiveness%2C%20high%20costs%20and%20uncertain%20availability.
Unfortunately I don't think that we will ever get away from fossil fuels until we actually run out of it, and no I don't think the planet will be able to endure it anymore. This is a great topic to talk about.
ReplyDeleteWe are moving into a weird place of history. We have to move on from what we know in order to save the future, and yet we cannot let go of the past. Fuel will be our downfall if we let it.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of e-fuels before and thoroughly enjoyed reading your post. You are totally right that electric vehicles are not a sustainable solution currently because for them to make a difference in emissions, there needs to be a large enough electric grid implemented to support the charging of these cars. It is unfortunate that the individuals in power refuse to educate themselves on innovations that could save our planet.
ReplyDeleteIt is very cool that we can use the harmful substances we are emitting to cycle back into our typical fossil fuel activities. I wonder if at a large scale this would reduce the car based fossil fuel emissions. However, I fear that waiting for this current administration to end before we get proper funding to scientists and climate researchers will leave us running out of time.
ReplyDeleteWhile Trump's focus on fossil fuels may perpetuate existing environmental and health issues, the potential of (E-fuels) offers a promising alternative that could reduce harmful emissions and utilize captured carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how efficient the electrolysis used to make E-fuels really is. With the energy input that is required to create usable hydrocarbon based fuel from atmospheric CO2 and water, is it still a greener option than petroleum based fuels like gasoline?
ReplyDeleteTrump has spent so long making his claims against natural global warming and climate change, and now he has pulled out of the Paris Agreement. He continues to mislead and ignore the truth about climate change and the real risks and factors that will influence it.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great alternative to traditional fossil fuels and electric vehicles, but I also have concerns on the reality of standardizing efuels when the fossil fuel industry already holds such a strong grip on our government especially as Trump has already halted EV progress in Detroit and other cities.
ReplyDeletetrump says he is a business man and unfortunately for us saving the planet and stopping climate change is not very profitable as a matter of fact it is very costly.
ReplyDeleteThe future of E-fuels depends on political support and investment. With the right backing, they could significantly contribute to a more sustainable energy system.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting. I was always under the impression that running E-fuels was considered 'dirty' for car engines and caused more harm than good regarding the longevity of our vehicles. I had never heard this side or looked much into it. This post was extremely informative!
ReplyDeleteUsing the very source of what is contributing to climate change and global warming (CO2) seems to be an efficient way to make sustainable energy while extracting the harmful emissions. I can only hope that significant action can be taken to make the switch to sustainable energy before these effects become irreversible.
ReplyDeleteIt still surprises me that the owner of the number #1 electric car company is politically aligned with Trump. I understand they share business interests, but I wonder how much longer customers and the public will accept being lied to.
ReplyDeleteThe main problems of efuels is that they take lots of energy to create and that capturing carbon is highly inefficient. They appeal to people because they would seem to not change the way we think about driving cars. But battery powered cars from renewable energy such as solar or wind are far more efficient.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this type of fuel. However, I wonder how sustainable it would be or if it would be a plausible alternative.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of E-fuels before this, and may end up looking into it more later. It could be a decent in-between while we transfer to renewables, but with its general inefficiency, don't think it should be a long term thing. Despite the (illegal) freeze on funding, I believe there will still be research into greener forms of energy, luckily, just at a slower pace. Here's hoping we can push through these four years. :(
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of electrofuels so thank you very much for touching on the subject. It’s sad though because I personally don’t believe, in my lifetime at least, we will ever fully move on from the everyday use of fossil fuels.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the use of fossil fuels is so widespread that it is unlikely to see the use of it cease before the resource is completely depleted and there is no other option. It was interesting to learn about efuels and how they could be a potential method of potentially reducing the use of fossil fuels in the future
ReplyDeleteIt’s frustrating that politics and business interests continue to slow down progress in clean energy. The idea of capturing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide (2 major pollutants), and converting them into usable fuel is really fascinating.
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