Last week, fuels company Aircela successfully demonstrated the first U.S.-based direct air capture (DAC) unit that produces fossil-free gasoline on-site, in real time.
The machine was debuted at a rooftop event in Manhattan’s Garment District, where a live audience got to witness this innovative technology at work, producing sustainable gasoline out of the air.
Event attendees included several of the company’s early investors, as well as New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher and New York State Energy Chairman Richard Kauffman.
With a size that roughly matches that of a refrigerator, this novel, DAC-powered fuel production system is fully modular, instantly deployable, and built for distributed production.
As Aircela has pointed out, one of the major advantages of this machine is its ability to operate as is, without requiring new infrastructure or new vehicles.
In the demo event, Aircela managed to validate the viability of the process in which this DAC technology pulls CO2 from the air and successfully performs on-site fuel synthesis, producing gasoline compatible with contemporary engines without requiring any modifications.
Following this milestone progress, the company intends to begin with the initial deployments of its machines towards the end of Fall 2025.
Founded in 2019 by Mia Dahlgren and Eric Dahlgren, Aircela advanced towards field testing and initial tech manufacturing with the financial support of Maersk Growth—the venture capital arm of Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk.
Relevant: Aircela Gets Funding From Maersk Growth To Start Field Testing
Commenting on the unit’s fruitful debut, Morten Bo Christiansen, Senior Vice President and Head of Energy Transition at A.P. Moller Maersk, stated, “We invested in Aircela because of their innovative approach to production of low-emission fuels based on direct air capture. With the first prototype working, we have seen an important step towards that goal.”
He goes on to add, “We now look forward to seeing Aircela scale and reduce cost, paving the way for what will hopefully become the transition of Maersk from investor to customer.”
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