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CNN
21-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Could future flights be powered by thin air?
Source: CNN Imagine boarding a flight from Seattle to London, but instead of burning fossil fuel, your plane's engine runs on fuel created — quite literally — from thin air. It sounds like science fiction, but research labs are already working on making it happen. So far it's on a very small scale. A new class of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) pulls carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air and turns it into jet fuel, offering a glimpse into a future where aviation could be virtually emissions-free. The catch? The price tag for these e-fuels is still sky-high. Sustainable aviation fuel prices vary depending on how they're made, and none of these fuels are widely used yet. There are two main types: bio-based SAF, made from organic materials like used cooking oil and agricultural waste, and e-SAF (also known as electrofuels, e-kerosene and e-fuels), made with renewable hydrogen and CO₂ captured from the air. E-fuels are the most expensive option, largely due to the high cost of carbon capture and electrolysis. But they hold immense promise: they could be genuinely carbon-neutral. 'Among all alternatives to fossil jet fuel, e-kerosene offers the most promising path to decarbonize the aviation sector,' says Camille Mutrelle, aviation policy officer at Transport & Environment, a European nonprofit focused on sustainable transport. 'Unlike bio-based SAF, which is limited by feedstock availability and land use concerns, e-kerosene can be sustainably scaled up to meet aviation fuel demand without competing with food production.' Lifecycle emissions for e-SAF can approach zero — especially when it's made using CO₂ captured directly from the air and powered by renewable electricity, Mutrelle adds. Though the market is still nascent, the first commercial flights using e-fuels, at least in part, are expected by 2030, Mutrelle says. More than 30 industrial-scale projects are already underway across Europe, and major airlines including United Airlines and IAG are beginning to invest. 'We expect broader deployment in the 2030s as production ramps up and costs fall,' Mutrelle adds. According to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, e-fuels currently average 7,695 euros (about $8,720) per ton. Bio-based SAF is cheaper, at 2,085 euros (about $2,365) per ton, but still far more expensive than conventional jet fuel, which averages 734 euros (about $830) per ton. This massive price gap explains why SAF adoption — especially e-fuels — has been slow. So what's the science that could power a 280-ton Dreamliner across the Atlantic — using nothing but air, water and renewable energy? Carbon capture fuels avoid the environmental pitfalls of traditional biofuels, which often rely on monoculture crops like sugarcane that can damage biodiversity and compete with food production. Instead, e-fuels use CO₂ from the atmosphere (or industrial emissions), plus hydrogen extracted from water via electrolysis using renewable electricity. The result is a synthetic jet fuel that can be used in existing aircraft engines, recycling carbon instead of adding more to the atmosphere. Among the companies pioneering this approach is Twelve, a California-based startup developing low-temperature CO₂ electrolysis. It's an energy-efficient method of turning CO₂ and water into syngas, the foundation of fuel that's synthetic, or simply made of something other than natural fossil resources. 'Our way is the electrochemistry way, where we're doing CO₂ electrolysis at the front end — and we're doing it at low temperatures,' says Ashwin Jadhav, Twelve's vice president of business development. 'There's not many folks out there focused on that.' This low-temp process uses less energy than traditional high-heat methods and integrates easily with wind and solar, making e-fuel production more efficient and scalable. These 'air-based fuels' can reduce emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil jet fuel, without the drilling, refining, and transport pollution of oil, according to representatives at Twelve. Twelve's first production plant, called AirPlant One, is opening this year in Washington state and the company plans to make 50,000 gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) annually. United Airlines is one of the major supporters helping to make this first round of mass-scale production possible. Twelve has also signed a major deal to supply 260 million gallons of SAF over 14 years to Europe's International Airlines Group (which owns Vueling, Iberia, Aer Lingus and British Airways). And while Twelve's fuel hasn't yet powered a commercial flight, the company aims to supply e-fuel for flights within the next year. Microsoft is part of a three-way partnership with Alaska Airlines and Twelve, whereby Microsoft will offset business travel emissions resulting from employees flying on Alaska Airlines. For now, the expectation is to blend e-SAF with fossil fuels until production of e-SAF is scaled up to fill tanks. Under Europe's ReFuelEU Aviation regulation, flights within Europe must use 2% SAF by 2025 and 70% by 2050 — with specific targets for e-fuel adoption along the way. While the technology for green skies already exists, shifting from fossil fuels to truly sustainable aviation is a long, complicated journey. Existing, longstanding investments in oil, political considerations and the pace of regulation all play a role in how quickly the transition takes flight. 'Economies of scale are needed to lower prices, but the high upfront costs discourage airlines from adopting SAF widely,' says Marina Efthymiou, a professor of aviation management at Dublin City University. 'Without strong policy interventions — such as subsidies, tax credits, and mandates — the financial gap is simply too large to overcome.' She notes that e-fuels have the highest emissions-reduction potential of any SAF — but also the steepest startup costs. So far, most SAF usage by airlines has involved bio-based fuels, especially HEFA-SPK (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids), which are more commercially available. In November 2023, Virgin Atlantic flew the first transatlantic flight powered entirely by sustainable fuels — made from waste fats and plant sugars. No fossil fuel. No e-fuels either. It showed that clean aviation is possible, though next-generation options like e-fuels are still too expensive and difficult to scale. Airlines including Emirates, Cebu Pacific, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have all flown using SAF, though details are often vague. 'Airlines aren't always transparent about how much SAF they're using, the blend percentage, or which type of SAF they rely on,' Efthymiou says. Across the energy, technology, and aviation sectors, a growing number of companies are investing in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Airlines like United, Delta, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, and Air France-KLM have committed to scaling up SAF usage, while energy giants like Shell, BP, and TotalEnergies are funding SAF production facilities. Tech companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have pledged SAF purchases to offset business travel emissions. However, investment in electrofuels (eSAF) — produced by combining captured CO₂ and renewable electricity — is still far more limited. Early adopters like United Airlines, Lufthansa Group, IAG (British Airways' parent company), and Japan Airlines have signed partnerships with companies like Twelve, Infinium, and Synhelion. Because eSAF is significantly more expensive and energy-intensive to produce than bio-based SAF, corporate investment remains cautious, and large-scale deployment will depend heavily on regulatory support and technological breakthroughs. E-fuels are hard to make and even harder to scale. The required infrastructure — carbon capture units, electrolysis systems, fuel synthesis plants — is costly to build. Production also demands huge amounts of renewable energy. Electrolysis, which entails using electricity to isolate hydrogen in water, alone requires large-scale green hydrogen generation, which is still developing in most regions. 'E-fuels have the potential to be the most sustainable form of SAF because they can be produced without land use, agricultural input, or waste feedstocks,' says Efthymiou. 'But that depends on the source of electricity and CO₂. The sustainability promise only holds if the inputs are truly renewable.' In short, e-fuels will only be as clean as the grid that powers them. Still, a major upside is that e-fuels work with existing aircraft. 'Most estimates suggest e-fuels could become more cost-competitive by the mid-2030s,' Efthymiou says, 'depending on renewable electricity prices, carbon pricing and technological improvements.' Small-scale demo plants are already running — like Ineratec and Atmosfair in Germany, and Infinium and Twelve in the US. But volumes remain tiny, and costs are high. 'Without a solid regulatory push, airlines just aren't motivated to switch,' says Mutrelle. Still, with continued investment, policy support, and technological advancements, experts believe that the idea of flying on fuel made from air could become a reality. Though pragmatic about the challenges faced, many experts are optimistic. Jonathon Counsell, head of sustainability at International Airlines Group, is one. 'Of course the ultimate goal is to take CO₂ directly from the atmosphere,' Counsell says. 'At first, we're capturing CO₂ from industrial plants to prevent it from entering the air. But the next step is direct air capture — sucking carbon out of the atmosphere itself. That's where we really want to get to.' He points out that SAF production has already grown from 100 tons to over a million tons in just a few years — evidence that scaling is possible. While carbon capture fuels remain a long-term solution rather than a present reality, if governments, airlines, and innovators align, the idea of flying on fuel made from air could take off sooner than we think. See Full Web Article
CNN
21-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Could future flights be powered by thin air?
Imagine boarding a flight from Seattle to London, but instead of burning fossil fuel, your plane's engine runs on fuel created — quite literally — from thin air. It sounds like science fiction, but research labs are already working on making it happen. So far it's on a very small scale. A new class of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) pulls carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air and turns it into jet fuel, offering a glimpse into a future where aviation could be virtually emissions-free. The catch? The price tag for these e-fuels is still sky-high. Sustainable aviation fuel prices vary depending on how they're made, and none of these fuels are widely used yet. There are two main types: bio-based SAF, made from organic materials like used cooking oil and agricultural waste, and e-SAF (also known as electrofuels, e-kerosene and e-fuels), made with renewable hydrogen and CO₂ captured from the air. E-fuels are the most expensive option, largely due to the high cost of carbon capture and electrolysis. But they hold immense promise: they could be genuinely carbon-neutral. 'Among all alternatives to fossil jet fuel, e-kerosene offers the most promising path to decarbonize the aviation sector,' says Camille Mutrelle, aviation policy officer at Transport & Environment, a European nonprofit focused on sustainable transport. 'Unlike bio-based SAF, which is limited by feedstock availability and land use concerns, e-kerosene can be sustainably scaled up to meet aviation fuel demand without competing with food production.' Lifecycle emissions for e-SAF can approach zero — especially when it's made using CO₂ captured directly from the air and powered by renewable electricity, Mutrelle adds. Though the market is still nascent, the first commercial flights using e-fuels, at least in part, are expected by 2030, Mutrelle says. More than 30 industrial-scale projects are already underway across Europe, and major airlines including United Airlines and IAG are beginning to invest. 'We expect broader deployment in the 2030s as production ramps up and costs fall,' Mutrelle adds. According to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, e-fuels currently average 7,695 euros (about $8,720) per ton. Bio-based SAF is cheaper, at 2,085 euros (about $2,365) per ton, but still far more expensive than conventional jet fuel, which averages 734 euros (about $830) per ton. This massive price gap explains why SAF adoption — especially e-fuels — has been slow. So what's the science that could power a 280-ton Dreamliner across the Atlantic — using nothing but air, water and renewable energy? Carbon capture fuels avoid the environmental pitfalls of traditional biofuels, which often rely on monoculture crops like sugarcane that can damage biodiversity and compete with food production. Instead, e-fuels use CO₂ from the atmosphere (or industrial emissions), plus hydrogen extracted from water via electrolysis using renewable electricity. The result is a synthetic jet fuel that can be used in existing aircraft engines, recycling carbon instead of adding more to the atmosphere. Among the companies pioneering this approach is Twelve, a California-based startup developing low-temperature CO₂ electrolysis. It's an energy-efficient method of turning CO₂ and water into syngas, the foundation of fuel that's synthetic, or simply made of something other than natural fossil resources. 'Our way is the electrochemistry way, where we're doing CO₂ electrolysis at the front end — and we're doing it at low temperatures,' says Ashwin Jadhav, Twelve's vice president of business development. 'There's not many folks out there focused on that.' This low-temp process uses less energy than traditional high-heat methods and integrates easily with wind and solar, making e-fuel production more efficient and scalable. These 'air-based fuels' can reduce emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil jet fuel, without the drilling, refining, and transport pollution of oil, according to representatives at Twelve. Twelve's first production plant, called AirPlant One, is opening this year in Washington state and the company plans to make 50,000 gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) annually. United Airlines is one of the major supporters helping to make this first round of mass-scale production possible. Twelve has also signed a major deal to supply 260 million gallons of SAF over 14 years to Europe's International Airlines Group (which owns Vueling, Iberia, Aer Lingus and British Airways). And while Twelve's fuel hasn't yet powered a commercial flight, the company aims to supply e-fuel for flights within the next year. Microsoft is part of a three-way partnership with Alaska Airlines and Twelve, whereby Microsoft will offset business travel emissions resulting from employees flying on Alaska Airlines. For now, the expectation is to blend e-SAF with fossil fuels until production of e-SAF is scaled up to fill tanks. Under Europe's ReFuelEU Aviation regulation, flights within Europe must use 2% SAF by 2025 and 70% by 2050 — with specific targets for e-fuel adoption along the way. While the technology for green skies already exists, shifting from fossil fuels to truly sustainable aviation is a long, complicated journey. Existing, longstanding investments in oil, political considerations and the pace of regulation all play a role in how quickly the transition takes flight. 'Economies of scale are needed to lower prices, but the high upfront costs discourage airlines from adopting SAF widely,' says Marina Efthymiou, a professor of aviation management at Dublin City University. 'Without strong policy interventions — such as subsidies, tax credits, and mandates — the financial gap is simply too large to overcome.' She notes that e-fuels have the highest emissions-reduction potential of any SAF — but also the steepest startup costs. So far, most SAF usage by airlines has involved bio-based fuels, especially HEFA-SPK (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids), which are more commercially available. In November 2023, Virgin Atlantic flew the first transatlantic flight powered entirely by sustainable fuels — made from waste fats and plant sugars. No fossil fuel. No e-fuels either. It showed that clean aviation is possible, though next-generation options like e-fuels are still too expensive and difficult to scale. Airlines including Emirates, Cebu Pacific, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have all flown using SAF, though details are often vague. 'Airlines aren't always transparent about how much SAF they're using, the blend percentage, or which type of SAF they rely on,' Efthymiou says. Across the energy, technology, and aviation sectors, a growing number of companies are investing in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Airlines like United, Delta, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, and Air France-KLM have committed to scaling up SAF usage, while energy giants like Shell, BP, and TotalEnergies are funding SAF production facilities. Tech companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have pledged SAF purchases to offset business travel emissions. However, investment in electrofuels (eSAF) — produced by combining captured CO₂ and renewable electricity — is still far more limited. Early adopters like United Airlines, Lufthansa Group, IAG (British Airways' parent company), and Japan Airlines have signed partnerships with companies like Twelve, Infinium, and Synhelion. Because eSAF is significantly more expensive and energy-intensive to produce than bio-based SAF, corporate investment remains cautious, and large-scale deployment will depend heavily on regulatory support and technological breakthroughs. E-fuels are hard to make and even harder to scale. The required infrastructure — carbon capture units, electrolysis systems, fuel synthesis plants — is costly to build. Production also demands huge amounts of renewable energy. Electrolysis, which entails using electricity to isolate hydrogen in water, alone requires large-scale green hydrogen generation, which is still developing in most regions. 'E-fuels have the potential to be the most sustainable form of SAF because they can be produced without land use, agricultural input, or waste feedstocks,' says Efthymiou. 'But that depends on the source of electricity and CO₂. The sustainability promise only holds if the inputs are truly renewable.' In short, e-fuels will only be as clean as the grid that powers them. Still, a major upside is that e-fuels work with existing aircraft. 'Most estimates suggest e-fuels could become more cost-competitive by the mid-2030s,' Efthymiou says, 'depending on renewable electricity prices, carbon pricing and technological improvements.' Small-scale demo plants are already running — like Ineratec and Atmosfair in Germany, and Infinium and Twelve in the US. But volumes remain tiny, and costs are high. 'Without a solid regulatory push, airlines just aren't motivated to switch,' says Mutrelle. Still, with continued investment, policy support, and technological advancements, experts believe that the idea of flying on fuel made from air could become a reality. Though pragmatic about the challenges faced, many experts are optimistic. Jonathon Counsell, head of sustainability at International Airlines Group, is one. 'Of course the ultimate goal is to take CO₂ directly from the atmosphere,' Counsell says. 'At first, we're capturing CO₂ from industrial plants to prevent it from entering the air. But the next step is direct air capture — sucking carbon out of the atmosphere itself. That's where we really want to get to.' He points out that SAF production has already grown from 100 tons to over a million tons in just a few years — evidence that scaling is possible. While carbon capture fuels remain a long-term solution rather than a present reality, if governments, airlines, and innovators align, the idea of flying on fuel made from air could take off sooner than we think.
Auto Express
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Flawed hybrid car efficiency data to stifle UK EV sales and propagate pollution
The government's decision to permit the sale of hybrid-powered vehicles post-2030 has the potential to increase carbon emissions and stifle the sales of EVs, according to a leading transport sustainability group. Following the review by Labour into the ZEV Mandate – a set of rules which not only dictates the phase-out date for internal-combustion engined (ICE) vehicles, but also how many EVs must be sold per year up to that point – full-hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars will now be allowed to be sold from new between 2030 and 2035. Advertisement - Article continues below However, The European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E), says that the decision to consider plug-in hybrids as low-emissions and thus suitable to be sold after 2030, was based on what it describes as 'flawed' data that 'dramatically understate[s] the true emissions of PHEVs'. Recently, it was highlighted that emissions data for plug-in hybrid cars on the WLTP test cycle were largely unrealistic and not representative of what most buyers achieved on the road. T&E says that, on average, the real-world emissions of a plug-in hybrid car are typically three-and-a-half times higher than what the official figures suggest. Such a disparity is much greater than that for petrol or diesel cars. This has largely been put down to the fact that PHEVs are tested with a charged battery and because tests take place over a short distance, the effectiveness of the battery and accompanying electric motor is overstated. A stricter test cycle has already been introduced, with a new, more representative set of regulations due to be introduced in 2027 that will better reflect real world driving. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Despite this, the government has stated that emissions targets for manufacturers will continue to use the old figures and test cycle. This, T&E fears, means that drivers will continue to be 'misled by the 'low emission' image of PHEVs portrayed by carmakers' and that the UK may struggle to hit its lofty climate targets as a result. In fact, the European transport sustainability group believes this mixed messaging surrounding PHEVs could see as many as 500,000 additional new cars using the tech hitting the road by 2030, in turn jeopardising the sales of cleaner, fully-electric cars. T&E has called on the government to bear in mind the new updated plug-in hybrid emissions figures and regulations before pressing ahead with its ZEV mandate changes to avoid 'duping' the public. Such a sentiment is backed by Professor of Business and Sustainability at the University of Cardiff, Peter Wells, who told Auto Express that T&E's analysis was 'entirely correct, both in terms of the real-world performance of PHEVs, and the actual cost to consumers. It is a flawed policy.' Wells continued, saying: 'We too easily forget that the point of all of this is to slow down the rate of climate change. Once again the government has allowed itself to be distracted by short-term economic expediency.' Auto Express has approached the UK Department for Transport for comment, but we have yet to receive a response. Take a look at the best electric car deals on the market right now... Find a car with the experts Car Deal of the Day: Sacre bleu! The Renault 5 keeps getting cheaper Car Deal of the Day: Sacre bleu! The Renault 5 keeps getting cheaper The modern-day Super Cinq comes with a super price. It's our Deal of the Day for 14 May Want a new small car? You probably can't afford one and car bosses blame the EU Want a new small car? You probably can't afford one and car bosses blame the EU Renault and Stellantis bosses demand changes to the emissions rules driving up new car prices Best electric cars 2025: the top 10 best EVs you can buy Best electric cars 2025: the top 10 best EVs you can buy Thinking about making the switch to an electric vehicle? Here are the EVs that should be on your shortlist, and why… Best cars & vans 14 May 2025
