China has increased the use of alternative fuel cars, especially methanol vehicles to improve domestic energy security and lower air pollution. Already completed pilot projects have proven that methanol vehicles (commercial fleet) are cost-effective, ecologically beneficial, and technically advanced. According to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the growth of the methanol industry has been important to diversifying the country’s energy sources and securing the supply of energy.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) Statement:
According to MIIT’s pilot data, methanol-powered vehicles can increase their energy efficiency by about 21 percent, and reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by about 26 percent. Methanol is a liquid even at normal pressure and temperature, making it safer and more practical for consumption, transportation, and other communications. It is one of the most recognized new clean and renewable fuels in the sector.
The MIIT has created a detailed plan for the growth of the methanol-powered automobile sector. The administration’s future efforts will concentrate on assisting in its creation and implementation. The MIIT also suggested that methanol automobile manufacturers continually monitor consumer demand and optimize their product structure in order to surpass production capacity restrictions. The administration also stated that higher requirements will implemented for the study of methanol twin-trailer vehicles.
Geely Working on Development of Methanol-Fueled Vehicles:
With 16 years of active involvement in the industry and holding more than 200 core patented technologies, Geely is currently one of the top players in the Chinese methanol vehicle market. The company has built more than 20 passenger and commercial cars running on methanol so far. There are currently 27,000 Geely vehicles on the road that runs on methanol. The overall mileage is close to 10 billion kilometers, and the maximum mileage for a single vehicle has surpassed 1.2 million kilometers. In the MIIT’s five-year-old pilot experiment in five provinces and cities, nearly 90% of the methanol vehicles were from Geely.
Geely Chairman Eric Li stated that methanol vehicles should be put in the development system and management category of new energy vehicles in order to gain more policy support. Additionally, other companies including the Yutong Group, Weichai Power Co., Ltd., CAMC, and Shaanxi Heavy Duty Automobile are working on methanol-powered cars with a stronger emphasis on commercial rollout.
