Bentley Cars Run On 100% Biofuel At Goodwood Festival Of Speed – CleanTechnica

Bentley Showcases 100% Biofuel-Powered Cars at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Bentley brought 6 cars to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year, an event the organizers call the “ultimate summer garden party” for motorsports. One of them was a 103-year-old Bentley EXP2. Another was a Bentley Bentayga extended wheelbase SUV, towing 2.5 tons of straw.

Also in the mix was the Bentley Batur, a 745 horsepower coupé for the well-heeled who wish to get to the site of the next chukka as swiftly as possible. It is powered by the unique W-12 engine created by Volkswagen Group a decade ago by smooshing two of its narrow angle V-6 engines together in a single engine block with a common crankshaft.

The big news of the event for Bentley was that all of its cars ran on 100% biofuel without any modifications to the engines. The second generation biofuel meets the EU EN228 standard and is a direct replacement for gasoline. In fact, it is so chemically similar it actually is gasoline except that it did not come from cracking crude oil. Instead, it is derived from plants, but not the kind used for food.

Bentley “Beyond 100” Plan

It’s all part of Bentley’s “Beyond 100” strategy, which will see every new car it builds be either a plug-in hybrid or a battery electric model by 2026. Beginning in 2030, every new Bentley will be powered exclusively by a battery. As the company embarks on its second century in business, it intends to be carbon neutral in all its operations.

84% of all Bentleys ever made are still operational. The company’s interest in biofuels is spurred by its desire to allow all of those surviving cars to continue driving, but with much lower emissions. The company has now installed a 1200-gallon fuel storage tank (called a bowser if you speak Brit) to store its renewable fuel at its Heritage Collection Center in Crewe. Every vehicle in the collection is kept in perfect working order and in road legal condition.

Biofuels Are Becoming A Thing

Biofuels are starting to get a lot of interest as people realize there may come a time when gasoline from petroleum may not be so widely available in the years to come, just as leaded gasoline disappeared a few decades ago. Internal combustion engines don’t care what the source of the fuel they burn is, as former Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel proved at last year’s Silverstone Grand Prix, when he drove a biofuel-powered 1992 Williams racing car around the track.

Porsche (which happens to also be part of the Volkswagen Group) is also peering into the future and seeing a need for biofuels not only for drivers of its piston engine cars but for the continuation of various racing series that feature Porsche automobiles. To date, it has invested over $100 million in the development and production of e-fuels, including $75 million in HIF Global, which plans, builds, and operates e-fuel facilities in Chile, the US, and Australia.

The Takeaway

Biofuels are controversial. The first generation fuels relied on plants that are used for food by humans and animals. The second generation fuels solve that problem, but still require a significant amount of energy to produce — energy that might otherwise be used for more important purposes such as cooling homes and commercial buildings or manufacturing batteries for electric cars.

There is a growing belief that there will soon be such an overabundance of renewable energy that there will be an excess of electrons available to make green hydrogen or biofuels. But the world is decades away from having enough renewable energy to significantly lower its overall carbon emissions. Meanwhile, the acolytes of internal combustion engines that rely on the time-honored principles of the Otto cycle — suck, push, bang, blow — want to use some of it to keep their cars running.

No one can argue that reducing well-to-wheel carbon emissions by 85% is not a good thing, but don’t get your hopes up that you will be able to keep your Belchfire 5000 running on biofuels 20 years from now — at least not at anything like the price of ordinary gasoline today. Biofuels are likely to cost three times as much as ordinary gasoline.

Expect to see the rise of special preserves that cater to the needs of internal combustion vehicles, much as there are horse farms today that serve the needs of wealthy equestrians. Here at CleanTechnica, we respect the research that has gone into creating these biofuels, but remain skeptical they will ever become more than a niche market for well-heeled drivers. Perhaps biofuels may play an important role in reducing the carbon intensity of aircraft engines, locomotives, container ships, or long haul trucks, if their cost can be reduced.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs Addressed:

1. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
3. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
4. SDG 13: Climate Action

Targets Identified:

• Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
• Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable
• Target 12.2: Achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
• Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning

Indicators:

• Indicator for Target 7.2: Proportion of total final energy consumption from renewable sources
• Indicator for Target 9.4: CO2 emissions per unit of value added in manufacturing industries
• Indicator for Target 12.2: Domestic material consumption per capita
• Indicator for Target 13.2: Number of countries that have integrated climate change into their national policies, strategies, and planning

Analysis:

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to the following SDGs:

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – The article discusses Bentley’s use of 100% biofuel, which contributes to clean energy.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – The article mentions Bentley’s plan to transition to plug-in hybrid or battery electric models and its efforts to be carbon neutral in all operations.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – The article highlights Bentley’s use of second-generation biofuels made from waste products, which promotes sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
• SDG 13: Climate Action – The article emphasizes Bentley’s goal to reduce CO2 emissions and become a carbon neutral company.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, the following targets can be identified:

• Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix – Bentley’s use of 100% biofuel contributes to increasing the share of renewable energy in the transportation sector.
• Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable – Bentley’s efforts to transition to plug-in hybrid or battery electric models and its carbon neutral goals demonstrate its commitment to sustainable practices in the automotive industry.
• Target 12.2: Achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources – Bentley’s use of second-generation biofuels made from waste products aligns with the target of sustainable resource management.
• Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning – Bentley’s goal to become a carbon neutral company and its efforts to reduce CO2 emissions contribute to integrating climate change measures into its operations.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article mentions or implies the following indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• Indicator for Target 7.2: Proportion of total final energy consumption from renewable sources – The article highlights Bentley’s use of 100% biofuel, which indicates progress towards increasing the proportion of renewable energy in the transportation sector.
• Indicator for Target 9.4: CO2 emissions per unit of value added in manufacturing industries – The article mentions Bentley’s efforts to be carbon neutral and reduce CO2 emissions, which can be measured to assess progress towards sustainable manufacturing practices.
• Indicator for Target 12.2: Domestic material consumption per capita – The article does not directly mention this indicator, but Bentley’s use of second-generation biofuels made from waste products can contribute to reducing domestic material consumption per capita.
• Indicator for Target 13.2: Number of countries that have integrated climate change into their national policies, strategies, and planning – The article does not mention this indicator, but Bentley’s commitment to becoming a carbon neutral company aligns with the goal of integrating climate change measures into its operations.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: cleantechnica.com

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