Hyundai, Saudi Aramco to jointly develop eco-friendly vehicle engine

Hyundai Motor Group said on Wednesday it will collaborate with Saudi Aramco and a Saudi Arabian university to jointly develop an environment-friendly fuel and engine for vehicles.

Hyundai, Aramco, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) plan to develop an advanced fuel for ultra-lean burn, spark-ignition engines to lower a vehicle's overall carbon dioxide emissions, Hyundai said in a statement.

The two-year joint project aims to verify by how much greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced when e-fuel is used in hybrid electric vehicles instead of conventional fuel, it said.

"As hybrid EVs are rolled out, the real challenge now lies in making strides with optimal fuels and exceptional combustion systems. The Aramco team provides fuel design and blending know-how to improve Hyundai Motor Group engine combustion performance and the outcome could lead to the application of synthetic e-fuels," Aramco's Chief Technology Officer Ahmad O. Al-Khowaiter said in the statement.

Hyundai plans to cut its carbon emissions by 75 per cent compared with 2019 levels by 2040 and targets to reach carbon neutrality, or net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, in 2045, reports Yonhap news agency.

Carbon neutrality can be achieved by either balancing carbon emissions with carbon removal or by cutting carbon emissions entirely.To achieve the aim, Hyundai plans to raise the ratio of EVs to 30 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2040 in global sales from the current 1.5 per cent.