In a recent Star Citizen Live episode with the Lore Team we got a nice nugget of info on the source and harvesting of Quantum Fuel.
Quantum Fuel is the fuel used to travel at about 1/5th the speed of light. It is found in one of two ways.
1 - It can be manufactured in a particle accelerator.
2 - It can be found naturally in rare and random locations.
What does this mean for players in the verse?
Well first of all it means that he Endeavor with a science kit including the particle accelerator can manufacture Quantum Fuel. Not in great quantities from the sounds of things, but enough to be a source of income or an alternative to purchasing it for personal use.
It also means that we will find pockets of quantum fuel in the wild. Again, not in great quantities from the sounds of things in the interview. Rare, but not so rare that it would be hard to find if you chose fuel harvesting as a profession. Fuel found in the wild will be unstable and will require refining to make it usable in ships. That means you could have a ship that just carries unstable quantum fuel particles from mining location to refineries. Precious Cargo indeed.
Of course none of this is set in stone, it is just the design that was recently laid out and presented by the lore team. It does sound like refueling is a hot topic, and it is coming up soon on the Road Map.
Maybe now is a good time to pick up a Starfarer if you do not already own one!
See ya’ll round the verse