The joint project DeCarTrans, for which CAC ENGINEERING GMBH serves as the technology provider, has been honored with the “Innovator of the Year 2024” award and has also won the largest audience award in the German-speaking business community.
Double Award Winner as "Innovator of the Year 2024" with DeCarTrans
The joint project DeCarTrans (Demonstrating a Circular Carbon Economy in Transport along the Value Chain), for which CAC ENGINEERING GMBH serves as the technology provider, has been honored with the “Innovator of the Year 2024” award and has also won the largest audience award in the German-speaking business community. These achievements highlight the significance of synthetic fuels for sustainable mobility and the innovative strength of the project's partners.
Funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, the project aims to industrially produce synthetic gasoline. The process begins with methanol derived from renewable energy and recycled CO2. In the next step, CAC ENGINEERING’s synthesis process converts this methanol into climate-neutral gasoline—an innovative alternative to fossil fuels. During the early stages of the project, 15,000 liters of sustainable gasoline were already produced, with a total of 380,000 liters expected by 2026. Successfully tested and approved by nearly all major automotive manufacturers, this synthetic gasoline has been used in the 24h Nürburgring race for three consecutive years and in this year’s FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK), where Toprak Razgatlıoğlu from the ROKiT BMW Motorrad team was crowned world champion.
As the technology provider for the production of this synthetic gasoline, CAC ENGINEERING brings extensive expertise in implementing Power-to-Liquid technologies. The chemical process, which combines water, CO2, and electricity, enables the production of nearly CO2-neutral gasoline that is compatible with existing infrastructures—from refineries to gas stations—and can be used in any gasoline engine, either as a blend or in its pure form, without requiring vehicle modifications.
Antje Wappler, Marketing Manager at CAC ENGINEERING, emphasizes: “These awards are a tremendous success for the project team and a testament to the importance of sustainable fuel technologies. With our gasoline technology, we are actively contributing to the energy transition in the mobility sector.”
CAC Plans Germany's First Industrial-Scale Gasoline Synthesis Plant
With this award, DeCarTrans, together with its technology provider CAC ENGINEERING, not only demonstrates its commitment to green technologies but also its ability to translate innovations into practice, prove their economic viability, and actively shape the future of mobility. The Chemnitz engineering company is currently working on the realization of Germany's first industrial-scale synthetic gasoline production plant. The initial expansion stage of 50,000 tons of synthetic gasoline would reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 150,000 tons per year compared to fossil gasoline. This nearly climate-neutral fuel could immediately serve approx. 7.5 million new gasoline-powered vehicles registered annually in Europe, as well as the 256 million existing vehicles.
The technology, an appropriate location with a well-developed logistics network, and potential customers are already in place. CAC is currently collaborating with a renowned corporate finance company and its banking partners to secure financing for the investment.
CAC Among the Top Three Global Leaders in Synthetic Fuel Technology
CAC is one of the top three global leaders in synthetic fuel technology, having planned and built Europe's first and largest pilot plant for synthetic gasoline production in collaboration with TU Bergakademie Freiberg back in 2009. As part of several research projects, funded by the federal government, the Free State of Saxony and CAC's own funds, have continued to advance the technology, which has been patented and prepared for large-scale production by 2023. The ongoing DeCarTrans consortium project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, allows CAC to operate the synthetic gasoline production continuously and provide fuel in sufficient quantities for demonstrations, such as in the WSBK.
Using the fuel in motorsport helps to transfer this innovative technology from the racetrack to the road. The climate-friendly gasoline equivalent has already been tested in various fleet trials by well-known car manufacturers and approved as compatible with all gasoline engines. It can replace or be blended with conventional fossil fuels without requiring any technical modifications to the vehicles. In an industrial plant, production costs of less than one euro per liter could be achieved.
Background on Synthetic Fuels
Synthetic fuels, also known as e-fuels, are liquid fuels produced synthetically using renewable electricity. They can be used to power cars (1.2 billion worldwide), trucks, airplanes, ships, or heating systems — anything with an internal combustion engine - in a climate-friendly way.
When used in pure form, e-fuels can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil fuels. In addition, e-fuels can be made available nationwide via the existing filling station network and can be stored and transported.
Methanol-based synthetic fuel production offers an additional advantage, as methanol can be produced at locations where renewable electricity, a key "raw material," is available in abundance and at low cost. This ensures that renewable energy can be imported to Germany and Europe in large quantities to sustainably meet the energy demand.
About the DeCarTrans Research Project
The DeCarTrans project (Demonstrating a Circular Carbon Economy in Transport Along the Value Chain) involves CAC ENGINEERING GMBH, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, FEV Europe GmbH, Lother Group, Coryton Advanced Fuels Deutschland GmbH, and Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH as funded partners. Other companies from the automotive and mineral oil industries support the project as associated partners.
The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport with a total of €14.93 million as part of the Renewable Fuels concept. The funding guidelines for the development of regenerative fuels are coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by project sponsors VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH and the Agency for Renewable Resources.
Press release and photos for download here: https://storage.cac-chem.de/s/5jix56Z2kFg6MPC