Is Volkswagen the only automobile manufacturer to use SunFuel®?

Volkswagen AG is cooperating with Daimler AG and other major companies with the aim of promoting SunFuel® and getting it ready for market. The Alliance for Synthetic Fuels in Europe (ASFE) has been created as a result of this commitment.

Why did Volkswagen go for SunFuel®?

The fact is that fuels based on mineral oil such as petrol or diesel will continue to dominate our mobility for a long time to come. The key issue is therefore to optimise these fuels and make them more ecologically compatible. SunFuel® is a fuel that meets these requirements. It is free of sulphur and aromatic hydrocarbons as well as being virtually CO2 neutral.

How long did Volkswagen need for the development of SunFuel®?

The Volkswagen Group has been engaged in the development of SunFuel® for more than seven years.

Does Volkswagen have other responses to climate change in addition to SunFuel®?

Apart from SunFuel®, the development of increasingly fuel-efficient engines and powertrain concepts is already playing a role in making the car more environmentally friendly. Over the long term, Volkswagen AG regards the electric motor as the optimum powertrain for sustainable mobility. Since 1988, the company has been testing vehicles with diesel and petrol-driven hybrid drives. Since 1999, Volkswagen AG has also been working on the development of fuel cells. This commitment recently resulted in our development of the high-temperature PEM fuel cell, which represents a significant move forward for market launch of fuel-cell technology in mobility.

What is special about SunFuel®?

SunFuel® represents second-generation biofuels and yields significant advantages. SunFuel® can already be used for today is vehicles in the pure SunDiesel® form or blended with fossil fuels as SunEthanol® without having to make an adjustment to the infrastructure. SunFuel® is one of the most cost-effective ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the use of fossil fuels in road traffic.

SunFuel® is able to make a significant contribution
- to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of up to 90 percent by comparison with fossil fuels
- to reduction of dependence on imported oil and hence contributing to improved energy security
- Ultimately, SunFuel® does not compete with food production because it can be manufactured from residual biomass.

Can any car run on SunFuel®?

Technical application of SunFuel® involves a distinction between SunDiesel® used for diesel engines and SunEthanol® used for petrol-driven engines.

SunDiesel® can be used as a blend with diesel or in pure form for all current and future diesel vehicles in the current product range of the Volkswagen Group.

SunEthanol® is feasible in Volkswagen petrol-driven engines from model year 2006. The proportion of SunEthanol blended with petrol can be up to 10 percent by volume.

Is SunFuel® only available for diesel engines?

No. SunFuel® includes all second-generation biofuels which are suitable both for diesel and for petrol-driven engines.

What pollutants are produced by SunFuel®?

SunFuel® is virtually free of additional CO2 emissions. Since SunFuel® is very pure and free of sulphur and aromatic hydrocarbons, it burns significantly more cleanly than fossil fuels.

What is the benefit of SunFuel® for Volkswagen? Where is the commercial interest, how much does VW earn with SunFuel®?

The development of SunFuel® is not based on short-term or immediate profit but is directed towards making an important contribution to sustainable mobility in our society that can be implemented over the short term.

Is SunFuel® manufactured solely from straw?

No. Other residual materials of biological origin can also be used.

Is any form of plant biomass suitable for SunFuel®?

Yes, all forms of dry biomass can be used. In addition to wood, it is possible to use cheap, fast-growing plants or residual biomass such as straw.

We are always hearing that biofuels do not actually reduce the impact on the climate. Is this also true for SunFuel®? What is the eco-footprint?

This applies to first-generation fuels. The Volkswagen Group has been working on second-generation biofuels for a long time, i.e. SunFuel®. The CO2 generated in the combustion of SunFuel® was previously taken out of the atmosphere by the photosynthesis of plants. SunFuel® is therefore an attractive proposition with a virtually closed CO2 footprint cycle.

Will increased cultivation of plants for SunFuel® lead to more monoculture than in current agriculture?

Monocultures are not inevitable since a broad range of residual plant materials can be used for the manufacture of SunFuel®.