Volkswagen is one of the world’s biggest car manufacturers. They have the resources to study many different avenue’s in the alternative fuel sector. However, not every endeavour is going to be a successful one. Their algae engines had great potential to provide the world with a fuel source that was not as harmful to the earth as the dredded fossil fuel industry. It all ended in a catastrophic failure for the German giant. With the world moving ever closer to a zero-emission car market, the question for VW is, what should they invest their money and time in next?
What will the world choose as the new fuel of the future?
The world is looking for the next fuel that will power us into the future. With the emergence of Tesla, the world was excited and flocked to the EV. Tesla experienced record sales and the EV became the must have item for the climate conscience consumer. However, the EV sector has been experiencing some issues of their own, not to mention the public backlash Musk has been receiving lately.
The next best thing appeared to be hydrogen. After the apparent problems with the EV industry, hydrogen was viewed as another option the world could explore. At first, the focus was on building hydrogen fuel cells that could produce electricity to power the electric motors. We have also seen huge innovation in the hydrogen internal combustion engine.
However, the EV has maintained its firm grip on the industry. Most of the world’s major car manufacturers have committed to a zero-emission line-up within the decade. Now that does not necessarily mean all cars will be electric, simply that they will all have a propulsion system that produces no emissions that harm the environment. We ask the question, what other options are there?
What happened to Volkswagen’s algae engine?
In 2012, Volkswagen was unveiling a new type of fuel that had the world wondering if they had discovered the future. What the German giant was proposing was truly unique. They had the idea to partner with a Silicon Valley startup, Solazyme. Their focus was to produce a new type of diesel from algae. The VW Passat TDI and Jetta TDI covered about 20,000 miles together running exclusively on algae diesel.
What made the fuel even more interesting is that they managed to make it in such a way that any diesel car could run on the algae diesel. That made it extremely exciting and without a doubt the most promising fuel option yet. The problem they had at the time was, how would one adapt the current cars on the roads to run on it? The automotive world is moving at an incredible pace of innovation.
What ended up being the deciding factor was the infrastructure. VW eventually abandoned the project due to the challenge of creating enough infrastructure to make it viable. They ended up following the trend and invested heavily in electrifying their cars. But for a while, Volkswagen was leading the world in the search for an alternative fuel option.
Can we find an alternative fuel source before its too late?
The EV turned out to be almost as harmful to make as any other car. The cobalt needed to make the batteries is expensive and difficult to get. Volkswagen have since moved on. However, the world is fast approaching the point of no return. The climate crisis is pushing the pace of innovation. The world’s car manufacturers are on the front line of the alternative fuel market. In fairness, they have the responsibility to provide the ever growing population with personal mobility options that are more sustainable. At least Volkswagen are trying.
