Biofuel passes historic test in Britain

Two of the world's earliest cars, both more than 110 years old, have made a successful switch to 21st century biofuels.

Carbon-free e-fuels were used in the tanks of a 1904 Covert and a 1901 Mors for the 2022 running of the annual 87-kilometre drive celebrating the 'emancipation' of cars – when they could be driven without someone walking in front with a red flag – in 1896.

The London-to-Brighton test came as some of the world's high-performance car-makers – led by Lamborghini and Porsche – fund development of biofuels as a way to potentially meet government-mandated zero-emission targets while retaining some form of combustion power in their cars.

As previously reported by Drive, Porsche is one of the backers of a synthetic fuel plant in Tasmania being primed to produce up to 100 million litres per year of synthetic carbon-neutral fuel.

Biofuels are being considered as a potential lifeline for the owners of older classic cars, such as the London-to-Brighton entrants.

“While electric cars may be part of the solution, it’s so very important that we keep an open mind. If we can find affordable alternatives that do not require a complete overhaul of the infrastructure as well as environmentally costly replacement of existing vehicles, so much the better,” Ben Cussons, chairman of the Royal Automobile Club and driver of the Mors, said in a media statement.

Alternative fuels are not new to the London-to-Brighton run, as electric and steam power – as well as primitive combustion engines – were relatively commonplace at the dawn of the motoring era.

Only cars built before 1905 are eligible for the event but that did not hamper the biofuel conversion, as the single-cylinder Covert ran on a fossil-free fuel developed by the P1 company in Britain which is similar to the decarbonised fuel is supplies for the turbo-hybrid cars in the World Rally Championship

“The P1 eFuel functioned absolutely perfectly – it was an entirely positive experience,” the Covert's driver, Wolfgang Presinger, said in a media statement.

“We must now cross our fingers that these kind of fuels will soon become available in good quantities at market prices thus saving us from changing our much-cherished vehicles. Then our passionate old car hobby will be part of the solution and not perceived as part of the problem.”