eFuels: An Alternative to the Alternative

Low-carbon fuels promise greener alternatives, but can they deliver?

Even as electric vehicles dominate today's alternative powertrain market for passenger cars, the future of how we will all someday drive without burning petroleum is cloudier than ever. To decarbonize transportation, governments and companies around the world are promoting various future technologies, including hydrogen and synthetic fuels, as alternatives to the alternative.

In the U.S., the road to a hydrogen future recently hit a few road-blocks. In February 2024, Shell announced it would dramatically scale back its H2 refueling station plans in California and close some of its few stations. This dealt a blow to local H2-vehicle drivers as well as the state's plans for a robust hydrogen infrastructure. When Hyundai announced in October 2021 that it would support Shell's plans to add 48 additional H2 refueling stations in California, it said that “hydrogen refueling infrastructure growth is critical to rapidly increase consumer adoption of zero-emission fuel cell vehicles.”