A Fuel Fit to Drink!

German Formula E driver, Daniel Abt, who pilots the Deutsche Post car of Team Audi Sport ABT, proves that the pollution-free glycerin used to charge his racing car is so clean you can drink it!

The maiden season of the world’s first fully-electric racing series – the FIA Formula E Championship – has just seen a dramatic finish in London. But beyond entertaining a new generation of motorsports fans, Formula E aims to represent a vision for the future and “become a framework for research and development around the electric car – a key element for the future of our cities,” says Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E.

One argument against the increased use of electric vehicles is the pollution caused by producing the electricity to charge the vehicles in the first place. Many say this negates the environmental benefit, an argument that is spot on if the main electricity supply is coming from coal-fired power stations (although it tends to brush over the fact that the carbon emissions from producing and distributing gasoline or diesel is even greater).

“It’s kind of sweet, but I don’t think I’d want to drink a full bottle of the stuff.” (Daniel Abt)

When it came to fueling the fully-electric Spark-Renault SRT_01 car, Formula E wanted something groundbreaking – a technology they could help advance in line with their vision. Put simply: a way to charge the cars from a sustainable source. And they found it in a generator developed by a British company called Aquafuel Research Ltd. The generators, which are mobile and can be packed inside shipping containers alongside the cars and other equipment, run on glycerin, a fuel that is virtually pollution free.

“It’s kind of sweet”
Glycerin is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid. It is non-toxic and is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. It is an abundant byproduct of biodiesel production but can also be derived from plants. 

“It’s kind of sweet,” said Daniel Abt, who had a taste in the Audi Sport ABT team garage ahead of the 2015 Formula E Visa London ePrix. “But I don’t think I’d want to drink a full bottle of the stuff.”

In the one hour it takes to charge the 20 cars, you avoid nearly half a metric ton of carbon emissions and half a kilogram of poisonous NOx emissions.

Indeed glycerin is used in food and beverages and is completely safe to consume. Aquafuel’s technology enables the gooey liquid to substitute for diesel in its generators, cutting pollutants such as nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulates by over 90%. The environmental benefit is truly impressive. In the hour and 42kW of electricity that it takes to charge each car – multiplied by 20 cars – you avoid nearly half a metric ton of carbon emissions and half a kilogram of poisonous NOx emissions.

On top of that, they found the generators run more efficiently than on diesel.

“Its lubricity is much better than diesel, so all of the moving parts in the injection system are lubricated much better and they stay clean,” says Paul Day, CEO of Aquafuel. “Because you don’t produce any soot and particulates, the oil stays clean and because the exhaust is so clean the catalysts for cleaning the emissions stay in really good condition.”

The generators are basically standard production diesel engines (Cummins KTA50), which have been modified with the Aquafuel’s patented technology to operate on glycerin.

Great is truly in the details. Go here if you’d like to learn more.

Inspiring fuel innovation
DHL joined Formula E from the very beginning because it believes that electric vehicles and sustainable technology represent the only future for the logistics industry. Aquafuel is an inspiring addition to Formula E and a technology we hope will see widespread use. We are always on the lookout for new fuels and energy sources, and we are constantly testing all the latest developments in electric, hybrid, biofuel and other drive systems. In fact, we currently have some 11,500 alternative vehicles on the road around the world.

Learn more about what we are doing and why our goal is to be the benchmark for sustainable business in our latest Corporate Responsibility Report, which you can find here.