> Despite e-fuel makers promising a major scale-up this decade, it will make an “unnoticeable dent” in transportation emissions, says Oates at BNEF. “This is down to a combination of nascent technology and high cost of e-fuel production,” she adds.

... and energy. For some reason the press articles always forget energy.

You need air to extract C from CO2, and water to extract H, and a lot of energy to break CO2 and H2O. The main cost is in the energy, so that't the part that is hidden.