France-headed oil and gas major TotalEnergies SE (formerly Total SA) has announced that it is developing a 100 percent renewable fuel for motorsport competition, to be introduced from next season at the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA) World Endurance Championship (WEC), including the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022, and at the European Le Mans Series (ELMS).
Competition is a key driver for innovation: the extreme constraints met in endurance racing –race duration and high mileage- are constantly pushing for the development of higher-performance fuels, which however must also address nowadays the new challenges posed by the energy and environmental transition.
Endurance racing, by its nature, has always served as an excellent research and development platform and it is an important milestone to have the FIA World Endurance Championship switching to 100 percent sustainable fuel. It’s FIA’s major goal to implement sustainable energy sources across its portfolio of motorsport disciplines, thus paving the way in the reduction of CO2 emission, perfectly reflecting our race-to-road strategy as well as the FIA’s PurposeDriven movement, said Jean Todt, FIA President.
Bioethanol based
This 100 percent renewable fuel to be offered by TotalEnergies will be produced using bioethanol basis made from wine residues from the French agricultural industry, and from ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE) produced at TotalEnergies’ Feyzin refinery near Lyon, France from feedstock also sourced from by the circular economy.
Named “Excellium Racing 100”, this new fuel should, TotalEnergies says, allow for an immediate reduction of at least 65 percent of the racing cars’ carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and opens a new chapter in the Endurance racing and motorsport energy transition for all the actors involved.
It will have all the required qualities for a racing fuel and will meet automakers’ requirements, as well as the latest FIA criteria for sustainable fuels, by leveraging the expertise of TotalEnergies Additives and Fuels Solutions.
This team has designed “Excellium Endurance”, the fuel used this year for the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2021 which includes a 10 percent blend of advanced bioethanol.
Our ambition is to be a major player in the energy transition and to get to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, together with society. TotalEnergies is supporting its customers and partners in their evolutions, by thus applying its strategy to motorsport: sustainable liquid fuels, electricity, batteries, hybridization, hydrogen… Advanced biofuels have an undeniable part to play in helping the transport sector to reduce its CO2 emissions immediately. This 100 percent renewable fuel, which will be made available in motor racing as soon as 2022, is a perfect illustration. As we are becoming a broad energy company, the racing track is more than ever an open-air laboratory for TotalEnergies. declared Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies.
Partner and supplier
Since 2018, TotalEnergies is the partner and official fuel supplier of Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), creator and organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. TotalEnergies share common values with the ACO pioneering spirit and taste for performance.
Since the beginning, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a laboratory for automotive development and safety, including engine- and fuel performance, fuels consumption reduction, aerodynamics, and hybridization.
Increasing awareness of social and environmental matters over the last few years has led the motor racing world to focus deeply on these issues. The 24 Hours of Le Mans has been an experimental playground for innovation ever since the first race in 1923 and this exciting new development is in perfect continuity with our founding principles. Our long-standing partner TotalEnergies channels its expertise into developing sustainable solutions. This new, fully renewable fuel is a testament to our wholehearted commitment to CSR. When it comes to sustainable development, we continue to step up to the bar, delivering our promise to play our part in sustainable mobility, said Pierre Fillon, President of Automobile Club de l’Ouest.
The forthcoming introduction of a 100 percent renewable fuel will complete this partnership between TotalEnergies and the ACO in the promotion of new energies. Also a hydrogen partner of the ACO Mission H24 racing team, TotalEnergies designed and build the first mobile hydrogen filling station, to support Mission H24 in the competition it is engaged in.
It is extremely encouraging that TotalEnergies is paving the way for others and creating a 100% renewable fuel. I firmly believe that the WEC and ELMS are the ideal playgrounds for TotalEnergies in order to trial its new innovative Excellium Racing 100 fuel. Endurance racing is the ultimate test for all road-related products and we are delighted that TotalEnergies has chosen our championships and Le Mans to help launch this cutting-edge new creation, commented Frédéric Lequien, CEO for FIA WEC & ELMS.
