Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co is a is a Chinese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The company is a global mobility technology group who are currently undertaking advancements in methanol fuel for sustainable vehicles. Now, Malaysia is hot on their radar to be the next market for the company to bring their fuel to. Malaysia has recently increased their efforts in the sustainable and green fuel sector.
The potential of methanol fuel
Methanol fuel is an alternative fuel source which has recently gained increased attention. As the world rushes to limit global warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius and to half green house gas emission by 2040, the automobile industry is continuing to strategies and find innovative solutions to the internal combustion engine. While many have placed their bets on electric vehicles, others are investing in the like of hydrogen and, of course, methanol.
Methanol has the potential to be a carbon-neutral fuel alternative. While most methanol produced today is still produced using fossil fuels, experts believe that the fuel has potential to be harnessed without the harmful emissions which current fossil fuels emit. “The infrastructure and engine technology are already in place; the task now is to develop its production from green hydrogen and carbon capturing,” says Kjeld Aabo, Director of New Technology Two-Stroke Promotion at MAN Energy Solutions and Chairman of the Heavy Fuel Working Group at the International Council on Combustion Engines (CIMAC).
While the production costs to produce clean methanol will initially be higher than other alternative fuels, such as synthetic natural gas (SNG), its handling costs are projected to be lower. The largest problem the automobile industry has quoted with regards to switching to alternative fuel sources is the amount of capital which is required to do it on a large scale. However, scientists have warned that we are not on our way to reach sustainability goals, thus we can no longer afford (literally) to use financing as an excuse to not transform the automobile industry.
Clean, easy-to-transport, and ideal storage features
Unlike hydrogen, methanol is relatively easier to handle. It can be handled and transported under normal temperatures and pressure, and it is not a new fuel to be distributed. It has long been used as a base chemical in many industries – which means that its storage, handling and properties are all known and documented. This means that new safety protocols and training would not be totally foreign if automobiles adapted methanol has a fuel on a large scale.
Recently, methanol has become popular in the maritime industry in particular. Maersk, the largest and of the most prolific container shipping line and vessel operator, recently joined forces with MAN Energy Solutions to prepare a container ship fueled by carbon-neutral methanol which was released in 2023. MAN was responsible for developing the engine.
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group largest methanol vehicle producer
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group is currently one of the largest producers of methanol-powered vehicles. They have already put methanol powered vehicles on the road and are looking to increase their output even more. Malaysia is an ideal location to expand these interests as the country has been vocal about their active interests in putting green vehicles on the road. Currently, Geely has over 30,000 methanol vehicles on the road worldwide.
The Group is looking at expanding their interests in Europe and is currently conducting tests in Denmark. In March of2023, the European Union approved a historic sustainability law that will require all new vehicles to have zero CO2 emissions from 2035. This move effectively forces diesel and petrol engines to be phased out and allowing other alternative fuel sources such as methanol powered cars to become widespread on European roads.
