May 5, 2025

World’s first motorcycle ride powered by Synhelion’s solar gasoline

Solar fuel hits the road. For the first time ever, Synhelion has fueled a vehicle with its renewable solar fuel – a historic step toward net-zero. And it wasn’t just any vehicle: Professor Aldo Steinfeld, the visionary behind the technology, rode his Harley-Davidson powered by Synhelion’s solar gasoline from plant DAWN. This milestone marks a breakthrough in the global transition to sustainable transportation.

In a groundbreaking moment for sustainable mobility, Professor Aldo Steinfeld has taken the world’s first motorcycle ride powered by renewable solar gasoline. His own Harley-Davidson roared to life on Synhelion’s renewable synthetic gasoline, produced at plant DAWN in Jülich, Germany. The ride demonstrates that solar fuels are fully compatible with existing vehicles and can drive real impact in the shift toward net-zero transportation. After the historic ride, Aldo Steinfeld said: “This is a dream come true. I’m so proud of all the groundbreaking achievements, and especially grateful to the entire Synhelion team for making solar fuels a reality.”

A fuel born from the sun
The renewable fuel used in this historic ride was produced at DAWN, Synhelion’s first industrial-scale demonstration plant. With plant DAWN, Synhelion has successfully validated its technology in an industrial setting, proving that the technology is now ready for large-scale deployment. Synhelion uses solar heat to drive a thermochemical process that turns a biogenic carbon source and water into synthetic drop-in fuel, namely sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), gasoline, and diesel. Unlike fossil fuels, Synhelion’s solar fuels are nearly CO₂-neutral, emitting only as much CO₂ as was used to produce them. Synhelion’s technology presents a solution available today for defossilizing transportation without requiring modifications to existing infrastructure, engines, or vehicles.

A motorcycle ride with a deeper meaning
The choice of a motorcycle for this world-first was no coincidence. Professor Aldo Steinfeld, a globally recognized scientist, dedicated his career to advancing solar energy technologies. As a professor at ETH Zurich, his research laid the foundation for Synhelion’s breakthrough technology. His passion for science combined with his love for motorcycles made him the perfect driver to take this emotional ride.
Philipp Furler and Gianluca Ambrosetti, Co-Founders & Co-CEOs of Synhelion, fueled the motorcycle of Aldo Steinfeld. In a joint statement, they said: “This moment was more than just a demonstration – it was a tribute to Steinfeld’s decades of pioneering work. Without his dedication and vision, Synhelion would not exist today. Seeing him ride his Harley, fueled by the very technology he helped create, was a fitting celebration of his contribution to the energy transition.”

A ride with a message
This ride wasn’t about proving that the fuel works – that has already been well established as the fuels from Synhelion meet the existing fuel standards and can be mixed with fossil fuels. Synhelion’s solar gasoline is a drop-in replacement for fossil gasoline, fully compatible with conventional internal combustion engines. No modifications were needed to Steinfeld’s Harley, highlighting the seamless integration of this technology into existing transportation systems.
The significance of this ride extends beyond the motorcycle – it shows that Synhelion’s renewable fuel technology is real, reliable, and ready for global deployment.

The road ahead
Fueling Aldo Steinfeld’s Harley-Davidson was just the beginning. In the coming months, Synhelion will demonstrate its fuels in various real-world applications, proving their versatility across different sectors.
While symbolic, this ride marked a critical step toward commercializing solar fuels. With ongoing scaling efforts, Synhelion is paving the way for a future where net-zero fuels become the standard. The transition is no longer a distant vision – it’s happening now, one ride at a time.