Audi has opened the doors to its new power-to-gas facility, which will make what the automaker calls E-gas, in Werlte, Germany. The plant produces hydrogen and synthetic methane and these clean fuels come from renewable energy, water and carbon dioxide. Audi says it's the first automaker to "develop a chain of sustainable energy carriers."
"The power-to-gas facility we built in Werlte can become a beacon project for the entire energy revolution, far beyond the boundaries of our company," Peter Altmaier, German Federal Minister of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, said at the inaugural ceremony, as quoted in the Audi press release (available below).
The Audi E-gas plant uses electrolysis to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen, which will someday power fuel-cell vehicles. For now, methanation is the process used to make the synthetic natural gas. Audi reacts the hydrogen with CO2 to generate renewable synthetic methane. The E-gas can be delivered through existing natural gas pipes since, chemically speaking, it's nearly identical to natural gas. Delivery of E-gas through the infrastructure is scheduled to start in the fall of 2013.
Audi says E-gas from the plant can power 1,500 new Audi A3 Sportback G-tron vehicles for 15,000 CO2-neutral kilometers (about 9,321 miles) each year. The Werlte plant is part of Audi's comprehensive e-fuels strategy and sustainability initiative. In parallel with the E-gas plant in Werlte, Audi also runs a research facility in Hobbs, NM, for the production of E-ethanol and E-diesel in collaboration with renewable fuel company Joule.
There could be another reason for building the plant beyond sustainability. New vehicle sales in Europe are experiencing a serious downturn. Analysts also say that global OEMs are starting to transform their identities from "automakers" to "mobility companies," so Audi's e-gas plant could cover a few strategic agendas.
Source: Auto Blog
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