The potential use of synthetic fuels (e-fuels) in the transport sector has been a controversial discussion topic for several years. Both proponents and opponents of e-fuels have arguments on their side. In our view, weighing up these arguments suggests that regulation should a priori allow for technological openness so that Hayek's “competition as a discovery procedure” is possible in the first place. E-fuels could be a solution for some applications in passenger car transport that are not (well) served by battery electric cars (BEV). They could help reduce CO2 emissions from new and existing vehicles. The biggest challenges for the use of e-fuels lie in availability, still-high costs and the low energy-conversion efficiency. [more]