Power-to-X eFuel Cascade | mysimulator.uk

Power-to-X Chain

Renewable input power 80 MW

Electrolyzer efficiency 68%

CO2 capture (DAC) energy penalty 12%

Synthesis efficiency 72%

eFuel end use

Compare pathways

Useful energy delivered

eFuel well-to-wheel

--%

Power lost as heat

-- MW

How the cascade works

Each stage multiplies the surviving power by its own efficiency, so losses compound: overall = η_electrolysis × (1 − DAC penalty) × η_synthesis × η_end-use.

Electrolysis splits water into H2 using renewable electricity (real electrolyzers: 60–75%).
DAC captures atmospheric CO2 as the carbon feedstock — this costs energy but doesn't itself carry the H2's energy forward, so it's modeled as a parasitic draw.
Synthesis (Fischer–Tropsch or methanol route) combines H2 + CO2 into a liquid hydrocarbon fuel.
End use: burning the eFuel in a combustion engine or turbine loses most of the remaining energy as waste heat — the same thermodynamic ceiling as any fossil-fuelled engine.

Compare that against a direct EV (charge + motor, ~2 stages, ~80% total) or a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle (electrolysis + fuel cell + motor) — eFuels exist for the hard-to-electrify remainder (aviation, shipping, legacy fleets), not because they're the most efficient path.

eFuel pathway Direct EV H2 fuel cell Lost as heat

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