A big new technology for the 2023 IndyCar Series debuted at the Thermal Club during the opening session of spring training on Thursday. In partnership with Shell, the teams will use new, 100% renewable fuel made primarily from second-generation biowaste.
Bassem Kheireddin, Motorsport Technology Manager at Shell, told RACER, “We are very pleased to bring 100% renewable race fuel to the NTT IndyCar Series.” “This fuel contains a lot of second-generation ethanol made from sugar cane pomace, which is part of the sugar cane that was previously considered a waste product converted into ethanol, which is used in the food supply chain. The majority of IndyCar’s new fuel comes from its Brazilian partners to Shell, which uses second-generation ethanol in its laboratories. and mixed with other ingredients (proprietary items) to provide roughly 100 octane for Chevrolet and Honda 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6 motors to burn. “Second-generation ethanol is supplied by his partner Ryzen in his venture in Brazil. They are the largest commercial producers of sugar cane ethanol,” says Kheireddi. “Of course, at Shell, as the use of biofuels increases, we hope that at some point this will change and become available locally.” It’s another renewable element added to the mixture to create a powerful racing fuel that can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60% over the fuel’s lifecycle.” Chevrolet Racing and Honda Performance Development has been using this new Shell renewable fuel in its engine dynamo for several months. “This has clearly been successfully tested by both manufacturers,” continues Kheireddin. “GM and Honda successfully tested for performance and durability, received approval, and finally the NTT IndyCar Series approved the fuel for racing. I’m excited.”
