Japanese collaboration to make ICE vehicles carbon-neutral using synthetic gasoline fuel
12 April 2025
ENEOS, Suzuki Motor, Subaru, Daihatsu, Toyota Motor, and Mazda Motor will provide passenger vehicles that use a fuel mixture containing synthetic fuel during the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan for transporting guests and related parties within the venue.
With support from the Green Innovation Fund of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), ENEOS will provide synthetic fuel produced at a demonstration plant completed in September 2024 within its Central Technical Research Laboratory.
This fuel will be supplied to vehicles for transporting guests provided by Toyota and Mazda, as well as vehicles for transporting related parties provided by Suzuki, Subaru, and Daihatsu. The synthetic fuel to be used has been confirmed in advance by Suzuki, Subaru, Daihatsu, Toyota, and Mazda to be able to operate similarly to gasoline.
Synthetic fuels are clean energy sources made from hydrogen derived from renewable energy sources and cO2 that can reduce CO2 emissions throughout their product lifecycle. As liquid fuels, they can utilize existing infrastructure and therefore contribute to reducing internal combustion engine CO2 emissions.
By operating the vehicles for transporting guests and related parties at the Expo, ENEOS, Suzuki, Subaru, Daihatsu, Toyota, and Mazda say they will promote the idea that engine-equipped vehicles running on synthetic fuel are a key mobility option on the path toward carbon neutrality.
Green synthetic fuel is expensive to make and inefficient to consume due to low engine efficiency, so best reserved for PHEVs that can be charged with solar electricity during the day at work or wind electricity at night. Use fuel only during calm, cloudy, rainy days when solar and wind energy is insufficient, and for long trips. In this way, the PHEV can be 100% green vehicle yet very efficient and low-cost to operate.
Posted by: Roger Pham | 13 April 2025 at 01:44 PM