Geely’s chairman Li Shufu has renewed criticism of battery-electric vehicles, arguing that lithium-based EVs can weigh up to twice as much as comparable methanol-powered models, raising concerns about efficiency and long-term scalability.
His remarks come as Geely continues to position methanol as a viable alternative energy pathway, particularly for sectors where vehicle mass directly impacts performance and operating costs. Li also pointed to a broader policy shift in China, referencing recent government initiatives that expand support beyond battery electrification.
Among them is a July 2024 guideline aimed at accelerating a comprehensive green economic transition, which explicitly calls for the development of infrastructure spanning charging, battery swapping, hydrogen, and methanol – signaling a more diversified approach to decarbonizing transport.
Policy pivot in China backs methanol and hybrid energy systems
A coordinated push by six Chinese government departments in October 2024 laid out a roadmap for integrated renewable energy hubs, combining wind, solar, hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol into unified systems.
According to Li Shufu, this policy direction marks the early stages of large-scale domestic substitution within China’s energy sector, reducing reliance on traditional fuels while accelerating the adoption of diversified, locally sourced alternatives, CarNewsChina reported.
Methanol is being positioned as a far more energy-dense alternative to lithium-ion batteries, with claims that it can deliver more than ten times the energy density. On that basis, methanol-powered vehicles could achieve comparable transport capacity while weighing roughly half as much as battery-electric models – a distinction that could prove critical for improving efficiency and extending range, particularly in heavier-duty transport applications.
Rising vehicle mass in lithium-based EVs is increasingly seen as a drag on efficiency, especially in heavy-duty transport, where added weight directly translates into higher energy consumption. While battery-electric vehicles have already reached large-scale adoption in China, the weight penalty continues to leave room for alternative propulsion pathways to emerge.
Two decades on, Geely’s methanol strategy aligns with policy shift
A long-term bet on methanol has been central to Geely’s alternative fuel strategy, with development efforts spanning more than two decades. Momentum began building at the national level in 2012, when the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China launched the country’s first official methanol vehicle pilot program, later followed by broader evaluation and expansion.
Policy backing intensified in 2019, when eight central government bodies jointly issued guidance to promote methanol-fueled vehicles in suitable regions. Since then, adoption has steadily scaled, with 39 cities across 20 provincial-level regions rolling out more than 80 policy measures to support methanol vehicle deployment.
Furthermore, Geely recently disclosed a methanol-based plug-in hybrid version of the Galaxy Starshine 6 sedan, featuring a 1.5-liter engine rated at 93 kW – an indication that the fuel is being actively integrated into mainstream passenger vehicle platforms rather than confined to pilot projects.
At the same time, development is extending into high-performance environments. The company has pushed methanol into motorsport testing, unveiling an engine engineered to run fully on M100 methanol fuel. The program is designed to validate durability, efficiency, and performance under extreme operating conditions, effectively using racing as a proving ground for broader commercial application.
