An Oxfordshire energy company that makes fossil-free synthetic fuels, including jet fuel, from air, water and renewable power.
Zero Petroleum, known as Zero, makes synthetic fuels that contain no fossil oil. Its process, called DirectFT, takes carbon dioxide captured from the air and combines it with hydrogen made by splitting water using renewable electricity. The result is fuel that can be used in place of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel. Its aviation products are named ZERO SynAVGAS and ZERO SynAVTUR, and the company says they can directly replace fossil-based fuels without losing performance or range.
Its tagline is "ZERO. FUEL REINVENTED." Founder and chief executive Paddy Lowe, a former Formula 1 engineer and team boss, has described the aim as "consigning fossil fuels to history". He has said the company has "already developed and tested our 100% drop-in synthetic jet fuel". With the Royal Air Force it earned a Guinness World Record for the first aircraft powered by a synthetic fuel, and in 2023 it began working with Boeing to help qualify its jet fuel. The 2023 plant could make only about 30 litres a day, for testing and certification, and the next step was a plant roughly 500 to 1,000 times bigger. In 2026 it described itself as poised for commercial scale-up, with an early engineering study (pre-FEED) for a first commercial plant completed by Technip Energies. Its stated goal in aviation is to go beyond the 50 per cent limit on blending sustainable fuels with fossil jet fuel.
Zero is based in Oxfordshire. It opened a technology centre called Laboratory Zero at Bicester Heritage, a former RAF base, in 2022. Mr Lowe said the site was chosen for its abundance of highly skilled local labour and industries. It then opened Plant Zero.1 near Oxford, a pre-commercial plant with direct air capture, a solar-powered electrolyser and the DirectFT synthesis unit. A 2026 report places its e-fuel research facility near Oxford. A site for a first commercial plant has been studied but not announced.
The 2022 announcement said Zero planned to recruit 25 to 30 technical experts, including technicians, performance engineers and chemical engineers, which shows the sort of people who work there. Its fuels also link to motorsport: it is listed as a partner of the Sauber racing group. We did not find a current staff count, a values page or staff comments about culture.
We did not find a graduate scheme, internship or apprenticeship listing, and the 2022 recruitment plan is dated. Chemical, process and mechanical engineering, chemistry and energy degrees all fit the work. Check Zero's own website for current vacancies, and look at the similar roles at its Oxfordshire sites.
Website: www.zeropetroleum.com
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