Energy company TotalEnergies announced today that it will launch “Excellium Racing 100,” a 100% renewable fuel for motorsports competition, to be introduced at he FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), including the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022, and at the European Le Mans Series (ELMS).

Excellium Racing 100 will be produced on a bioethanol basis, made from residues from the wine industry, such as wine lees and grape pomace, and blended with ETBE, a byproduct made from ethanol produced at TotalEnergies’ Feyzin refinery near Lyon, France.

Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, said:

“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% renewable fuel, that 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.”

According to TotalEnergies, the new fuel should allow an immediate reduction of at least 65% of a racing cars’ CO2 emissions. The company stated that 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.

Jean Todt, FIA President, said:

“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% sustainable fuel. It’s FIA’s major goal to implement sustainable energy sources across its portfolio of motor sport 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.”

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