Geely says it is open to collaborating with Malaysia on introducing methanol-powered vehicles here

Back in 2021, Geely chairman Li Shufu said the automaker was set to explore the development of methanol-powered vehicles, even though there was a possibility that there could be no commercial success to be derived from it.

Three years in, the company, which is presently the largest developer and producer of methanol vehicles in the world, is persisting with its push of the alternative fuel, which it says is an ideal source of energy, given its clean, easy to transport and store nature.

Having placed over 30,000 methanol vehicles on the roads with a combined mileage of about 10 billion km, the automaker is looking to expand the reach of the fuel beyond its home market and Europe, where it is currently trialling methanol-powered vehicles in Denmark with a view of selling them in European markets.

One of these destinations could be Malaysia. Some time back, it was reported that Geely Auto vice-president and Geely New Energy Powertrain R&D Centre president Wang Ruiping said the automaker was open to talks with the country about introducing methanol-powered vehicles here.

“There are potential opportunities (for collaboration). We can talk about the details,” she said when asked about the subject. Of course, whether anything actually materialises on this front remains to be seen.

At present, Geely has about 20 methanol-based models in both passenger and commercial vehicle segments and obtained 256 patents for methanol technologies. Vehicle models include a Geely Methanol Hybrid version of the Emgrand sedan (which the Proton S70 is based on) as well as the Farizon M100 heavy truck, which has been tested and certified to meet China VI emissions standards.

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