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F1 plans to gradually increase bio-components in fuel

Published on 14 Nov 2019 09:10
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By: Fergal Walsh

Formula 1 is hoping to gradually increase bio-components in its fuel as part of its plan to make the sport carbon neutral by 2030.

Earlier this week, F1 announced the project that will see it eliminate its worldwide carbon footprint by making changes to the hybrid power unit while also altering the logistics of the sport.

Despite the cars only making up a tiny percentage of F1's carbon footprint, F1's chief technical officer Pat Symonds has outlined the changes that it hopes to make to the internal combustion engine going forward.

"One of the key elements will be the fuel Formula 1 uses in the future," he said in an interview with Formula1.com.

"Currently, under Article 19.4.4 of the FIA’s 2019 technical regulation for F1 a minimum of 5.75% (m/m) of the fuel must comprise bio‐components. We want to go to 100% – that’s the target. For 2021, we are looking to increase to 10% and the idea is to increase that over time."

F1 will use second-generation bio-fuel, which Symonds explains means that they "don’t have a significant impact on the food chain".

"They either use food waste, the husks of corn for example, or biomass, for example forestry waste, or indeed household waste," Symonds added.

In 2013, the maiden season of Formula E got underway, with the series having mass appeal to organisers and manufactures due to the cleanliness and lack of harmful technology.

Symonds admits electric power is "attractive", but sees F1 as a leading force in eliminating the carbon emissions produced by over 1 billion internal combustion engine-powered cars worldwide.

"It’s certainly true that there is a move for light duty vehicles to move to electric powertrains," he said, "but the fact remains that over 1 billion of the 1.1 billion vehicles in the world fleet are powered by ICEs and there is great potential within that number to reduce carbon emissions globally.

"Electric power is attractive, but it’s currently still quite difficult to scale that up. With any of the technologies on the horizon at the moment an electric truck or an electric aircraft is not a particularly feasible product.

"So, there is still a case for having liquid hydrocarbon fuels in trucks and in aircraft."

calle.itw

Posts: 8,527

First things first: FE ain't clean. It is perhaps cleaner, but a polished and washed shit is still shit. Li ion batteries have a severe carbon footprint, and the work required to extract the mineral necessary is neither clean nor safe for the miners.

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Nov 14 2019 - 09:27

F1 News

Replies (7)

calle.itw

Posts: 8,527
First things first: FE ain't clean. It is perhaps cleaner, but a polished and washed shit is still shit. Li ion batteries have a severe carbon footprint, and the work required to extract the mineral necessary is neither clean nor safe for the miners.
- + 1
- Nov 14 2019 - 09:27
- Ram Samartha
  
  Posts: 1,172
  OK, a valid point, but really, comparing the carbon footprint for production of electric vehicles compared to that of the automobile industry? So it's 'cleaner' but it's all a sidebar. Burning bio-fuels is still dinosaur icu technology.
  + 0
  
  Nov 14 2019 - 21:10
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 8,527
  Yes Ram, because it is the only way to move forward! If the new stuff cannot be truly favourably compared to the old stuff, it isn't progress! For reference, the carbon footprint of current, state of the art EV production is so significant that you need to have owned one for at least 10 years for it to have been less impactful than the average petrol car. That ain't a sidenote, that is a significant number. Worse, a big part of that is unnecessary, carbon emissions from transports that could be eliminated overnight had the car industry been willing to. But the won't! Hence why the dinosaur tech is still relevant.
  + 0
  
  Nov 15 2019 - 16:25
f1ski

Posts: 726
preach on brother. The greenies love to fly everywhere on a helicopter too to show you what they want you to stop or save
- + 0
- Nov 14 2019 - 11:20
f1dave

Posts: 782
F1 will be running on fuel made from garbage, shows the direction the sport is taking.
Time now to be thinking of a new series without all these restrictive rules.
- + 0
- Nov 14 2019 - 14:44
- Ram Samartha
  
  Posts: 1,172
  Let us know when you find a better one! ;)
  + 0
  
  Nov 14 2019 - 21:19
Ram Samartha

Posts: 1,172
Really?! "F1 as a leading force in eliminating the carbon emissions produced by over 1 billion internal combustion engine-powered cars worldwide."??? I don't think so. Again, trying to justify all the dinosaurs to board the titanic. If you are looking for innovative ways for ICUs to burn fuels in different ways, then yeah, look to F1, but I don't see F1 as any kind of leading force for eliminating carbon emissions, rather a major force, or source, for some damn good entertainment every odd weekend or so.
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- Nov 14 2019 - 21:15