Audi Sport, together with its technology partner Aral, ran both its RS 5 DTM race taxis using low-carbon fuel at the DTM finale at Hockenheim as part of a pilot test. The high-performance fuel, composed of 50% renewable components derived from waste materials, is claimed to improve CO2 balance by 30%.
In terms of its properties, it meets the quality standards of the Aral Ultimate 102 fuel, which has been prescribed in the DTM since 2005. It has a CO2 reduction potential of more than 30% compared with gasoline based purely on mineral oil.
“We did not have to make any modifications to the DTM engine and [did] not have the slightest problem on the test bench,” said Ulrich Baretzky. “Consequently we are proving that low carbon fuels are also suitable for racing engines.”
Audi has also been researching alternative fuels for road car production for several years. The company is working independently on projects for the production of e-gas, e-diesel and e-gasoline.
Ulrich Baretzky, head of engine development at Audi Motorsport, said: “Audi has set itself the ambitious goal of successively achieving a reduction of about 30% of vehicle-specific CO2 emissions by 2025. By using low carbon fuels, a really noticeable CO2 reduction could be achieved for these cars without having to make technical changes. It’s great that motorsport is once again playing a pioneering role. We are excited about the idea of reducing CO2 emissions through the use of waste.”
Audi has been confirmed as the winner of all three DTM titles, in the drivers, manufacturers and teams classifications, before the season’s finale. The company’s newly developed, 2-liter four-cylinder turbo engine offers low specific consumption and correspondingly low CO2 emissions.
