Ducati Looking At “Synthetic” eFuel

Ducati’s place on electrical bikes is a bit puzzling.  Their CEO, Claudio Domenicali has stated that the know-how essential to make electrical bikes equal to or higher than their inner combustion engine counterparts will not be but obtainable.

Altering positions

MCN quotes Domenicali as saying:

“Electric bikes are fascinating but the technology is what it is; you cannot cheat chemicals. Right now, you remove 15kg of petrol but replace it with 150kg of battery. If there is a regulation to make electric bikes in five years, we will make it, but it will be a worse bike than we can make now.”

However just a few weeks later, he stated:

“The future is electric, we’re not far from starting series production.”

So which is it?  Is Ducati going electrical or staying with inner combustion?  Or may it’s that they’re taking a look at an intermediate step previous to going electrical?

Lately, Ducati’s VP of Gross sales advised MCN:

“We’re considering and dealing on electrical.  We’re a part of a gaggle that’s going rapidly in the direction of electrification and it’s an excellent alternative for Ducati.

“Will we produce an electrical Ducati quickly? No. We expect that for the sort of machine we produce now, an electrical motorbike can not assure the pleasure, the vary, the load and so on that Ducati riders anticipate.” – Francesco Milicia to MCN

eFuel

So what may an intermediate step be?

“We’re additionally trying fastidiously at different options for zero or minimal emissions, reminiscent of artificial gasoline. Different manufacturers in our group reminiscent of Porsche are taking a look at it and it’s one thing we’re taking a look at within the medium time period.” – Francesco Milicia to MCN

Artificial gasoline?  What the heck is synthetic fuel (eFuel)?  Finally, it’s a gasoline that’s produced by man, not the eons prolonged pure course of.

To make artificial gasoline, water is separated into hydrogen and oxygen utilizing wind-generated electrical energy.  Then CO2 from the air is mixed with the ‘inexperienced hydrogen’ produced earlier to type methanol.   Thereafter, it’s become useable gasoline by ExxonMobil-licensed Methanol to Gasoline (MTG) know-how.

The eFuel manufacturing course of.  Picture credit score: Siemens Vitality

Porche says that it will likely be capable of produce 130,000 liters of eFuel by 2022.  Additionally they declare that this quantity will finally climb to 55 million liters of eFuel by 2024 and 550 million liters by 2026.

eFuel as an intermediate step?

So Ducati could also be sticking with inner combustion engine bikes for the not too distant future.  What do you consider their plan and the eFuel idea general?