With the focus of greener and sustainable fuel resting on the shoulders of hydrogen, testing of the next possible fuel after hydrogen is not being conducted in China or Japan. Another Asian country is looking at a possible fuel alternative- methanol. The world’s greatest methanol fuel producer, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, is looking at this Asian country to be the base for a greener methanol-powered auto future.
Which Asian country is pursuing the methanol path?
Although methanol is not an entirely new fuel alternative that is advancing the “going greener” agenda, it has been gaining more attention and has somewhat pushed hydrogen and electric vehicles (EVs) out of the limelight. Geely, China’s biggest automaker, is set to push the methanol agenda forward with its 30,000 methanol vehicles hitting roads and ensuring a track record of more than 10 billion kilometers in mileage altogether.
Geely, however, is not looking to China or Japan to push forward the methanol vehicle agenda forward. The focus has now fallen on Malaysia. It was during the media’s visit to Geely’s Research and Development Institute in Ningbo, that the Auto vice-president of Geely, Wang Ruiping, expressed interest in working alongside Malaysia. Malaysia, too, is committed to adopting a greener approach and they are not leaving any stone unturned including that of their fuel choice.
So far, Geely enjoys a 49,9% stake in Proton Holdings Berhad which is Malaysia’s national carmaker. This partnership has seen the successful launch of many vehicles such as the Proton X50, X70, X90, and the S70x sedan. The partnership’s launch of the X90 saw the first new energy vehicle (NEV) and thus created the ideal footprint for the methanol fuel initiative to follow.
Considering methanol as a fuel alternative
Methanol is slowly causing prominent automakers to reconsider their hydrogen dreams as it is another clean-burning fuel that emits less pollutants. It is a favorable fuel choice as it is easier to transport and less stressful to store than hydrogen.
Thus, Geely has taken to the use of methanol for the Emgrand sedan and the Farizon M100 heavy truck alongside their 20 other methanol-powered models. This shows that perhaps Geely was correct in setting their sights on methanol as a cleaner fuel alternative. Reducing the carbon footprint, these methanol powered vehicles will surely be seen as acceptable in countries like Malayasia that wishes to transition towards sustainable fuels at less of the cost.
Moving the methanol agenda forward in Malaysia and beyond
While Geely has set its sights on Malaysia, it is not only focused on this Asian country. Testing of methanol powered vehicles is already underway in Denmark with the brand seeking to test European waters as well. Geely recognizes the success of these methanol vehicles in China and has understood the interest from Malayasia and Europe too.
Perhaps Geely will make history by being the first automaker in Southeast Asia to bring methanol to the transport sector. Malaysia too is looking towards methanol as a bridging fuel as the country moves away from the reliance on fossil fuels. Could Malaysia find its place in the global green space too?
What to look forward to along this methanol fuel shift?
Since the golden engine that is the future of mobility runs on methanol, the collaboration between Malaysia and Geely looks like a great shift towards global greener fuel solutions. Methanol is scalable and provides countries with a better alternative to fossil fuels.
Should all talks translate into action, Malaysia could be the next Asian country to shift towards the methanol vehicles’ agenda becoming a leader in the transportation sector even more so than Japan. Perhaps hydrogen should step aside as methanol is a far more lucrative and cost-effective solution. With Geely focused on methanol and Malaysia, the next fuel choice is here to stay.
