There is no doubt that the automotive industry is entering a new era. An era in which traditional internal combustion engines (ICEs) will be seen as archaic and new cars will rely on alternative means of propulsion.
Regulations are also gradually getting tighter. This predictably raises concerns about what will happen to the already produced CNG cars and whether we will be able to enjoy them. The industry is actively working in this direction, with bio and synthetic fuels being one of the solutions.
Their production is much more ecological than that of traditional fuels. This would offset a large part of the harmful emissions, which would be a good argument for regulators and institutions to leave current and vintage cars on the road even in the era of fully electric and other environmentally driven cars.
During the “Festival of Speed” in Goodwood, several companies tested such fuels in real conditions. Among them was Bentley, which has made an experiment with a new biofuel.
The company climbed the Goodwood hill 32 times during the festival with 6 different cars. They spanned the entire history of Bentley, from the latest W12 Batur to the 103-year-old Bentley EXP2.
All climbs and all cars used test biofuel. It is made from 100% renewable sources and materials, yet it meets the EN228 standard, making it practically the same efficiency as petrol.
Only waste from agricultural activity, the food industry and vegetation was used. They have undergone fermentation to extract ethanol. It is dehydrated into ethylene, which in turn is processed into gasoline. Bentley says this biofuel reduces CO2 emissions by 85% compared to burning regular petrol.
And another very important thing – biofuel does not require any modifications to the engines, regardless of their age and generation. This is exactly what the tests during Goodwood have shown. All the cars of the brand used the biofuel all the time and had no problems.
This makes the development much more suitable for mass application and preserves the value of the vintage cars as nothing needs to be changed on them. Bentley has also already installed a huge tank of this fuel at its headquarters, which will be used for the company’s demonstration cars, as well as those in its museum as part of their regular maintenance.
