Audi continues to research clean transportation

Audi expands its research on renewable energy and clean fuels

German automaker Audi has been looking for ways to make transportation more environmentally friendly. This is a trend that has become quite prominent within the global auto industry and it is becoming especially prominent as the world's governments adopt stricter regulations concerning carbon emissions. Like other automakers, Audi is examining the viability of hydrogen fuel cells as well as lithium-ion batteries. Audi, however, does not claim to know how the future of clean transportation will manifest and has been diversifying its research into the issue.

Automaker has ambitious plans for e-fuels and partnership with Global Bioenergies

While the automaker continues to investigate fuel cells and batteries, it is also beginning to focus its research of e-fuels. Audi recently partnered with Global Bioenergies in order to develop a new fuel that vehicles can use as an alternative to conventional gasoline. So called e-fuels make use f existing carbon dioxide in order to produce energy-rich compounds that can be burned for energy. Audi suggests that these e-fuels burn significantly cleaner than more conventional forms of fuel.

Synthetic methane could power Audi's future vehicles

Audi already has a devoted clean fuels project underway in Welte, Germany, where carbon-neutral energy is used to produce hydrogen fuel. The automaker is using a similar process to produce synthetic methane, which it called Audi e-gas. This fuel can be used to power a vehicle, but will produce carbon emissions, but Audi suggests that the carbon dioxide produced by burning its synthetic methane is captured and is not released into the environment.

Auto industry continues to support fuel cells but also looks for other alternatives

Finding ways to make transportation more environmentally friendly has become a major focus for the auto industry as a whole. Companies are investing heavily in clean technologies in order to accomplish their future goals, but few have found a particular form of renewable power that is considered ideal. Currently, hydrogen fuel cells represent the most promise when it comes to the issue of clean transportation, but automakers are unwilling to rest all their interests on fuel cells alone.