NEW YORK — The worldwide motion by governments and automakers to spice up electrification of automobiles doesn’t imply ethanol will probably be lifeless as a product, in line with an government of one of many world’s largest producers of the biofuel.
Past the demand that may live on in nations that produce the biofuel and the place adoption of EVs is seen as slower, resembling Brazil and India, there are industries that might want to use biofuels to cut back emissions the place electrification just isn’t a possible choice, stated Paula Kovarsky, chief technique officer at Brazil’s Raízen SA.
In an interview late on Tuesday in New York, the place she is for the cycle of local weather conferences within the coming week, Kovarsky stated that so-called ‘laborious to abate’ sectors resembling transport and business aviation are robust targets for the way forward for biofuels, in addition to electrical automobiles that might use gasoline cells for conversion of ethanol into hydrogen to maneuver electrical motors.
“I think about that for automakers, in the identical electrical automotive mannequin that might have a battery in Europe or the U.S., they may change that battery for a gasoline cell in Brazil or India and use ethanol,” she stated.
Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen are amongst automotive producers growing the hybrid expertise that makes use of ethanol to provide hydrogen contained in the automotive, the fuel that in flip will feed the electrical motor.
Consultants consider that is sensible for locations like Brazil the place there’s a broad ethanol distribution system. However since automotive manufactures have world manufacturing plans, there are doubts if they’d produce automobiles for the wants of particular areas.
Kovarsky sees potential for ethanol for use in sustainable aviation gasoline or as a bio bunker gasoline for vessels — areas the place batteries and electrification could be laborious to make use of.
