The history of synthetic gasoline goes back a long way, from the first German experiments in the 20s to Porsche’s modern e-fuels. But no one had ever managed to miniaturize the entire process into a domestic car. Aircela has succeeded, creating a modular device that can be installed anywhere there is renewable electricity. The demonstration in May marked a historic moment: for the first time in the United States, synthetic gasoline was produced in real time starting from urban air. The result is a very pure fuel, free of sulfur, heavy metals and ethanol, 100% compatible with any existing gasoline engine.
The Technology Behind the Synthetic Gasoline Miracle
The Aircela machine works through three sequential steps that seem like magic, but are pure chemistry. First, it captures carbon dioxide from the air using a potassium hydroxide solution. The air flows through a specially designed chamber where it comes into contact with the liquid sorbent, allowing the CO2 molecules to stick to the liquid without wasting too much energy. Mia e Eric Dahlgren, founders of Aircela, have spent years perfecting this process based on pioneering research by Klaus Lackner, the physicist who in 1999 first proposed the direct capture of air.
The second step involves electrolyzing water to separate hydrogen and oxygen. The process requires a lot of electricity, which is why the technology works best with renewable energy. While oxygen is released, hydrogen is stored for the next step. At the same time, the sorbent automatically regenerates, releasing captured CO2 to be reused in the cycle.
From the laboratory to the demonstration of synthetic gasoline
During the May demonstration in Manhattan, the machine combined captured CO2 and hydrogen to create synthetic methanol. This is then converted into synthetic gasoline through well-established chemical processes inside the device's chambers. The end result can be poured directly into the gas tank of any vehicle.
Klaus Lackner himself attended the event, explaining the scientific basis of the carbon capture process. Aircela's technology is based on its twenty years of research at the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions at Arizona State University, where he developed the basic concepts for passive carbon capture.
Size matters
The Aircela machine is the size of a commercial refrigerator and can store up to 64 liters of fuel in its internal tank. For practical comparison, a Toyota Tacoma’s tank holds 80 liters. So in its current form, the device wouldn’t be able to fill up a car overnight.
Eric Dahlgren claims that “we didn't build a prototype, we built a working machine.” The company aims to begin mass production by fall 2025, aiming to reduce costs through economies of scale. Investors include big names like Chris Larsen (founder of Ripple), Jeff Ubben (ExxonMobil board member) and MaerskGrowth.
As we have already said when talking about engines that run on alternative fuels, the challenge of synthetic gasoline is not only about production, but also about adapting existing infrastructure. Aircela solves this problem by producing synthetic gasoline that is chemically identical to traditional gasoline.
Secondo Previous studies on synthetic fuels, e-fuels currently cost over 2.800 euros per liter. Aircela promises to dramatically reduce these costs through distributed production instead of large centralized plants.
The approach represents a departure from traditional synthetic fuel projects. Instead of building massive factories like Porsche’s in Chile, Aircela is looking to deploy modular units wherever clean energy for transportation is needed.
