Could volcanos save the internal combustion engine?

Monday, 21 June 2021

Fuel created by harnessing volcanos may one day power internal combustion engines, thanks to efforts by Koenigsegg, Geely and a company in Iceland.

The boffins at Koenigsegg are working to develop methanol-based fuel and, as methanol is made from combining hydrogen and carbon, the carmaker is working with Icelandic company Carbon Recycling International to harness CO2 from a semi-active volcano and create a new fuel with an awesome name – Vulcanol.

Apparently, it reduces CO2 output by 90 per cent compared to fossil fuels, and could be used not only in Koenigsegg’s production cars but throughout the production and supply chains, too.

The plug-in hybrid Gemera will be fully compatible with alternative fuels for low-emissions driving.

Koenigsegg is also developing ultra-high-voltage battery packs to ensure its future plug-in and fully electric vehicles are lighter and more powerful than other similar cars.

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The Gemera uses a 2.0-litre twin-charged three-cylinder and three electric motors to generate 1268kW/3500Nm.

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Li Shufu, chairman of Geely, has confirmed his company is working on methanol-based fuel.

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To do so, the Swedish company has enlisted former Tesla executive Evan Horetsky to improve the company’s carbon footprint and incorporating its eco-friendly technologies into a wider range of models and drivetrains.

'We’re not stuck in traditional combustion technology,' von Koenigsegg told Bloomberg, 'the technology we develop there is really next-generation beyond anything else I’ve seen out in the marketplace, and also next-generation electrification, and combining these technologies in an interesting way to make our product stand out and be as competitive as we can with as little environmental footprint as possible.”

The first car to benefit from all of this will be the Gemera plug-in hybrid, which uses a 2.0-litre twincharged three-cylinder engine to generate 447kW/600Nm. Yeah, really.

Three electric motors and a 15kWh battery pack bump output up to a massive 1268kW/3500Nm.

Koenigsegg said in a different interview that while Vulcanol or other alternative fuels are hard to find, it shouldn’t be hard for fuel companies to start offering it. “You only need to change the content at the pumps and change the sign!”

Meanwhile, Chinese automaker Geely is also working on methanol-powered vehicles. The company, which owns Volvo and part of Daimler, has also invested in Carbon Recycling International to lower carbon emissions.

'We will keep exploring methanol vehicle technologies. Of course, it might fail in the end, but currently we are still working on it,' Li Shufu, chairman of Geely, told an industry conference in the western city of Chongqing, according to Reuters.

Li did not offer details of the technology. He told Reuters that Geely would “expand production of methanol-powered vehicles.”