Sustainable fuels: Misconceptions, high costs, and the need for government support
Goodwood Revival will race exclusively on sustainable fuel this week. Sustainable fuel developer Anders Hildebrand speaks on the fundamentals, challenges and an alternative path for a green future.
Goodwood Revival 2024, a vintage motorsport event, will create a landmark moment for historic racing on September 6-8 when all cars will race exclusively on fuels containing at least 70% sustainable components at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex.
As the race to sustainability picks up pace, Anders Hildebrand, founder and managing director of Anglo American Oil Company, has become a key player fueling that very race.
His company has been a longstanding partner of Goodwood and has developed and supplied them with racing fuels built on sustainable components.
The race to sustainability started in 2023 when the Fordwater Trophy, for pre-1965 Porsche 911 race cars, was run to the 2023 FIA sustainable fuel regulations, which then had the 70% sustainable component criteria.
For 2024, the FIA, the international body for motorsport, has amended this regulation and split it into two categories: 50% sustainable or 100%.
As the first race at the 2023 Revival was deemed a huge success, Goodwood decided to stay with 70% sustainable components for 2024.
Sounds progressive, right? Some might wonder why not make the jump to a 100% sustainable fuel?
It is far more complicated than that.
But before drilling into the intricacies of these lower carbon-emitting energy sources, let’s look at a much more surface-level question.
What are sustainable fuels?
They are often confused with other kinds of fuels, Hildebrand tells The Asterisk.
“People talk about renewable fuels, sustainable fuels, synthetic fuels, and e-fuels. They don't really know the difference,” says Hildebrand. “They're using the wrong terms.”
It’s not only the common man that can’t tell the difference.
“Even the petroleum and oil industry doesn't really know,” reveals Hildebrand.
Hildebrand has been in the distribution and supply of high-performance fuels and lubricants business for nearly 25 years. Anglo American Oil Company primarily caters to the motorsport industry.
The difference between renewable and sustainable
“Renewable fuels are made from crops,” explains Hildebrand. “You grow a plant, make ethanol from it, and you can use that (as fuel), or you can further process the ethanol and convert it to petroleum hydrocarbons.
“It’s called ‘Generation One’ fuel,” he says. “That is renewable.
“But it's not sustainable,” he points out. “We are basically then using products that would otherwise have been used as food products or in drinks.”
In contrast, ‘Generation Two’ ethanol is made from waste products. Hildebrand says these can include by-products from winemaking and food processing that cannot be consumed. Generation Two ethanol can also be made from waste from the forestry industry.
“Now we have renewable, but also sustainable fuel,” explains Hildebrand.
“So, the definition of sustainable fuel is that it is made from waste.”
All cars can practically be run on ethanol, according to the sustainable fuel developer.
“But that would mean a lot of retuning (adjusting engines and fuel systems) and rejecting (replacing or modifying parts) because ethanol contains 33% oxygen.”
The fuel systems, especially in historic vehicles, will not like the idea of running high ethanol content fuels as ethanol has a tendency to corrode the fuel system and perish fuel lines.
The higher oxygen content in ethanol compared to gasoline means the fuel burns more effectively, ultimately resulting in reduced emissions.
Ethanol is not always sustainable, cautions Hildebrand.
“A high concentration of ethanol can result in the ethanol getting into the engine oil, causing the oil to break down,” he says. “And then you get bearing issues and so many issues.
“That is not sustainable,” he asserts. “We must think that it's not just a fuel that needs to be sustainable; the vehicle, if it breaks down, is not sustainable due to the sustainable fuel.”
‘More sustainable to have a fuel that looks after the engine’
Last year, Anglo American Oil Company supplied sustainable fuel to over half of the grid for the Fordwater Trophy race at the Goodwood Revival.
“For the Goodwood fuel, we focused on what is good for the engines,” reveals Hildebrand.
“We designed the fuel to be sustainable to 70% and that didn't cause any issues for the vehicles,” he explains. “It worked successfully.”
“These old engines need high-octane fuels (to help the engine run efficiently).”
For the 2024 Goodwood Members’ Meeting, two grids mandated the Goodwood Sustainable fuel type to be used: The Ken Miles Cup and the Gordon Spice Trophy.
This added another level of complication.
Whereas the Porsche 911 race cars in the 2023 Revival race could use the same fuel, as the engines were almost identical, the two grids at the Members’ Meeting consisted of a diverse range of cars: Ford Mustangs, Capris, Escorts, BMC Minis, Rovers Vitesse, Triumph Dolomite Sprint, etc. This meant that Hildebrand had to design three more Sustainable Goodwood fuels to make sure that the engines would run as well as with normal race fuels.
“Designing fuel for historic race engines is a bit of give and take,” says Hildebrand.
The raw materials that are used for making sustainable fuels don’t burn efficiently. The fuel explodes too early in the engine, causing a rattling or knocking noise, and damages the engine over time. This is called knocking or detonation.
It can be prevented by increasing the octane level (or octane number, which is an indicator of how effectively fuel resists knocking) for the fuel to burn smoothly in the engine.
Special chemicals that are good at resisting knocking (double-bonded hydrocarbons) or substances like Tetra Ethyl Lead (TEL) are added as octane boosters to help the fuel run efficiently in the engine.
“The issue with double-bonded hydrocarbons is that they burn slowly and incompletely and, in carbureted engines, they actually increase particulate emissions,” explains Hildebrand.
Using TEL combined with single-bonded, fast-burning hydrocarbons reduces particulate emissions and the formation of smog, according to the sustainable fuel developer.
“And some people say, ‘How can using TEL be sustainable?’
“Well, there is a very small amount of lead in three out of the five Sunoco race fuels on offer at the Goodwood Revival,” he explains. “But they will save the engine.
“So, it's more sustainable to have fuel that looks after the engine than to have a fuel that doesn't look after it, as rebuilding an engine with new components is not sustainable – it’s give and take.”
Big challenges: Raw material and cost
There is a big push for sustainability. Sports leagues around the world have set targets to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
The FIA intends to reach the same goal by the end of this decade.
But achieving these targets is easier said than done.
Anders Hildebrand opens the tank and offers a glimpse into the challenges of developing sustainable fuels.
“The main challenges are the octane numbers, sustainable components, cost, and the availability of raw materials.
Additionally, there is a lack of different types of raw materials, according to Hildebrand.
“That’s a challenge,” he says. “But more and more raw materials are coming online.
“They're still very expensive,” he adds, emphasising that cost is one of the biggest challenges.
“It's going to take years until the cost starts to drop.”
Difficult to make sustainable fuels the standard today
A key feature of these fuels for the competitors at Goodwood is that they have no impact on the performance of the car, nor does the engine need any modifications in certain circumstances. Two of the high-oxygen sustainable fuels from Sunoco need jet changes (fuel delivery system) to compensate for the increased oxygen, but three are “drop-in fuels” (no changes required).
Replicating this feat across different motorsport disciplines can be like trying to wash grease from your hands with water alone – it’s difficult.
When the World Rally Championship opted for synthetic fuels in their racing series, they had ‘tremendous issues’ in the first year.
“They still have issues where I’m told they have to change the oil after each stage because of fuel contamination,” reveals Hildebrand. “That's not really sustainable.”
Goodwood Revival’s decision to race exclusively on fuel made from a minimum of 70% sustainable components is a significant milestone for the future of motorsport.
“It shows that it can be done,” says Hildebrand.
Besides getting the right composition for the sustainable fuel, there is another factor preventing stakeholders from fully embracing these fuels.
“The price is much higher than regular race fuel,” highlights Hildebrand. “It is about 50-60% more expensive.
It will be a while before sustainable fuels become the standard in motorsport.
“It's tricky because the economic climate is quite tough today,” says Hildebrand on racing series adopting sustainable fuels.
“Championships are struggling to attract racers,” says Hildebrand, who was a racer earlier in his career. “And to increase the cost of fuel or anything means having fewer people racing.”
“It’s a tough balance for them.”
Justifying a switch to fully sustainable fuels, even by 50-60%, will raise the cost to compete if costs stay where they are today.
“However, with more plants producing sustainable components, we have to look positively into the future.”
Government must realise there is an alternative to EVs
Every football club in the Premier League is replacing or has already replaced its petroleum vehicles with an electric fleet to reduce emissions.
In motorsports, the series Formula E was introduced to show what sustainable transportation was capable of and how electric vehicles (EV) can lead the way to a ‘better and cleaner future.’
Great emphasis has been put on electric vehicles, but there is an alternative, according to Hildebrand.
There is a need to inform the public on the benefits and potential of sustainable fuels.
“It has to be a collaboration between all manufacturers of specialist fields to show that this can be done,” says Hildebrand on educating the public.
“The government must realise there is an alternative to electric vehicles,” he says. “We can do carbon emission savings by going down this route.
“But again, there's not enough supply as it is now,” he warns.
“The government needs to invest in more plants that can make these base products.
“But they're only interested in electrifying the vehicles now.”
‘Easier to make clean fuel for existing cars’
Last year at the Revival, Hildebrand said it is easier to make clean fuel for cars that already exist.
“You already have the cars, and the carbon footprint produced from them,” he elaborates. “If you can make clean fuels, you can continue running these cars in a way that is carbon neutral.”
“It is much smarter than actually swapping these cars for big heavy EV cars,” believes Hildebrand.
“We don't know how long an electric vehicle would survive,” he adds.
“It's not an unknown state.”
What is beautiful about Goodwood Revival is that you have cars that are relics of the past but are living on the future. A blend of tradition and innovation.
“It is interesting that those cars are showing the way,” laughs Hildebrand.
Limited tickets remain for the event in West Sussex. If you love vintage cars, dressing in retro fashion, and enjoy racing on a Sunday, head to Goodwood Revival’s tickets and packages page.