Why synthetic fuels will be the future of motorsport | news

That is the view of Paddy Lowe, formerly managing director of the Mercedes Formula 1 team (F1) and now director (and co-founder) of Zero Petroleum.

Zero Petroleum is a new company dedicated to the production of “net zero” petroleum based products. The company is the brainchild of Lowe and his business partner Professor Nilay Shah, head of the chemical engineering department at Imperial College.

They believe that society has benefited immeasurably from the unique benefits of hydrocarbons, and Zero Petroleum’s vision now is to be a leading designer of a fully circular and climate neutral supply on a large scale.

Lowe left Formula 1 two years ago after a career spanning more than 30 years, including two separate positions in the Williams team, 20 years as a key technical figure in the McLaren F1 team and of course his years in the all-conquering Mercedes F1 team.

He and Shah have been working together at Zero Petroleum for over a year on a synthetic fuel that is synthesized by recycling water and carbon dioxide using renewable energies such as green hydrogen.

It’s an age-old science proven in photosynthesis and engineering over the past few decades – and Zero Petroleum believes synthetic hydrocarbon fuels are key to short-term decarbonization, as well as maintaining the same energy, entertainment, and spirit of motorsport could be the future.

“With motorsport, the key is in the name – it’s all about engines and it’s also a form of entertainment at the end of the day. It has no objective or useful function in the world, but we are all human and live to enjoy life and entertainment – and sport – is part of it, ”enthused Lowe in an exclusive webinar interview gasWorld.

“In that context, we have Formula E, an electric racing series, but I think there is growing recognition that petroleum fuels are a necessary part of that equation due to the energy density of the future, fun sport.”

“We believe that synthetic fuels will remain a strong component in motorsport as well, including in the automotive sector.”

Lowe emphasized that there is a place for electric racing series, but also for hydrogen-powered vehicles and related technologies.

This is currently the case with both the aforementioned Formula E series and the newly opened Extreme E series, for example an FIA-approved hybrid international off-road racing competition that uses special electric SUVs in remote parts of the world The world goes, like the Amazon rainforest or the Arctic.

Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg’s own team – Rosberg X Racing – has triumphed in the first two races of the Extreme E-Series this year. The other F1 world champions Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton also have their own teams in the category.

Lowe also supports the move towards battery-electric powertrains among the wider public, recognizing that they play a central role – but believes there is both logic and a very pragmatic argument for synthetic hydrocarbon fuels that can make it possible for all of us , the kind of life we’re used to.

“Switching to electric vehicles is the right thing to do and we at Zero Petroleum fully support this,” he affirmed, “it’s the most efficient and these are vehicles that are not being pushed to the limit. Regardless of whether they are a little overweight compared to a gasoline or diesel equivalent; It is energy efficiency that is most important. “

“But when you get to the top end of that sector, with specialty cars and supercars, like it or not – and I certainly know people who think things like that are excessive and wasteful – we live in a world where we give it to people cannot say “what we should do around the world, and we need to recognize that in many cases people do what they want to do.”

“So we have to support this with good technology that creates renewable and sustainable solutions for people’s needs.”

Zero Petroleum already has a tangible product to present, as Lowe demonstrated in front of the camera during our interview.

“At the high end of the automotive market we have very high performing cars that are privately run, there is a solution that is synthetic fuel ready and of course with all the legacy of historic vehicles that will be with collectors and for hundreds of hundreds of years we can’t just say it’s old, so it’s okay to use old fuels – there’s a responsibility in this sector to switch to circular and sustainable fuels that we can provide. “

“We actually already have a gasoline that can go straight into the car without any further processing and that is completely fossil-free.”

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© photo courtesy of Paddy Lowe

© photo courtesy of Paddy Lowe

Q1: plastic or hydrogen?

It is well known that Formula 1 plans its future fuel direction ahead of a 2025 change in engine regulations and its responsibility to be more sustainable in terms of both cost and environmental impact.

The question to Lowe from gasThe world then was whether we would see synthetic fuels in the next generation of F1 engines.

“I think that sooner or later most of the great motorsport people will take the synthetic route,” he said, measured and yet somehow exuberant in his reaction. “I think we need to see what this timeline looks like. There are a number of interests, and Formula 1 itself is a particularly complex industry with a large number of stakeholders, often with very different goals. “

“Whether F1 is the first – I know they’re talking about it – or whether it’s another motorsport like a smaller and more standalone series that is nimbler and able to embrace this technology and adopt it faster [is the question]. “

“In my opinion it is absolutely the right way, but not the only way. We already have these electric series and I think we will see an increasing presence of hydrogen in motorsport, some have already been declared, and we may even see that Formula 1 is moving towards hydrogen. “

Lowe is visibly less convinced of the potential of hydrogen propulsion in a motorsport category like the F1, largely due to the storage limitations and efficiency discussed earlier in our interview.

“As you said, it’s pretty demanding on volume and weight and that might work with some refueling (reintroduction), but I think refueling is pretty difficult at speed,” he said.

“In all transport and vehicle applications, not only the weight of the vehicle and the energy on board must be taken into account, but also the refueling and charging time.”

“When you consider an airplane, it takes time to fill it up with kerosene, that’s a rating if you put it electrically – and what would the power of this connector be? When you do the numbers it’s really scary. I think it’s the same thing when you look at a Formula 1 car to switch to hydrogen – the flow rates are pretty tricky. I think we’ll see a hydrogen solution, but we’ll definitely see synthetic petroleum solutions too. “

Exclusive webinar

Paddy Lowe spoke to gasWorld in an exclusive webinar broadcast gasWorld TV on Friday June 11th (2:30 p.m. BST).

In an in-depth interview with Rob Cockerill, Lowe talks about synthetic petroleum, the expansion of alternative fuels, politics and politics, fuels for the next generation of motorsport, and even his favorite races from his more than 30 years at the sharp end of F1.

For more information and information on how to watch the webinar, including on-demand access, please visit www.gasworld.tv.