Accelerate the promotion of methanol vehicles according to local conditions

　　Recently, the 100,000-ton green low-carbon methanol plant jointly invested by Geely Holding Group and Henan Shuncheng Group was officially put into operation in Anyang, Henan. .

At the same time, Geely's alcohol hydrogen technology and Shuncheng Group also signed an order for 300 methanol heavy trucks and delivered 30 units in the first batch to help zero-carbon land transportation.

　　"They recycle the carbon dioxide emitted by lime plants and cement plants and the waste hydrogen emitted by coking plants to synthesize methanol on site, and then fill it into the methanol cars we sell to them for transportation. Not only are the freight costs very low, but they are also environmentally friendly." Geely Holdings Li Shufu, chairman of the group, said.

　　Methanol vehicles help green transformation

　　When it comes to energy conservation and emission reduction in the field of transportation, domestic consumers are already familiar with the two technical routes of pure electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells, but they are relatively unfamiliar with methanol vehicles.

　　"The so-called methanol car is a car that uses methanol as fuel." Wei Anli, Secretary-General of the Methanol Car Promotion and Application Expert Steering Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, explained, "The promotion of methanol cars can replace a large amount of gasoline and diesel, reduce my country's oil imports, and ensure energy security in my country's transportation sector. It also helps to achieve carbon neutrality."

　　Wei Anli told reporters that methanol contains 1 carbon, gasoline contains 7 to 13 carbons, and diesel contains 14 to 22 carbons.

As a low-carbon oxygenated fuel, methanol not only has the characteristics of high combustion efficiency, clean emissions, and renewable green properties, but also is liquid at normal temperature and pressure. It is safer and more convenient to store, transport, and use than other new and clean energy sources.

At present, methanol has become a new type of clean green energy recognized by the global industry, and it is also an important choice for building future green energy.

　　It is worth noting that my country has a wide range of sources of raw materials for methanol production, a large economy, and a foundation for sustainable development of the entire industrial chain.

According to data released by the China Nitrogen Fertilizer Association, my country's annual methanol production capacity exceeds 90 million tons, and the output exceeds 70 million tons, accounting for about 60% of the world's total methanol production.

The preparation and on-site application of methanol can help the economic transformation and upgrading of energy-rich provinces such as Shanxi and Shaanxi, and promote high-quality industrial development.

　　Although electric vehicles are currently the main track for the transformation and upgrading of my country's automobile industry, whether in terms of meeting user needs and complex use scenarios, or in terms of the urgency and difficulty of carbon reduction, pure electric vehicles alone are still a technical route. Far from enough.

In fact, under the influence of multiple factors such as policy, technology and market, the current global automobile industry has formed a development pattern with diversified power technologies and coexistence of multiple technical routes.

Especially in recent years, the problems that have plagued electric vehicles such as the shortage of mineral resources upstream of power batteries and high energy consumption in power generation have not been completely resolved, which makes the promotion of methanol vehicles more realistic.

　　For this reason, while vigorously developing new energy vehicles, the country has also launched a pilot project of methanol vehicles.

Since 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has taken the lead in organizing methanol vehicle pilot projects in 10 cities in 5 provinces and cities including Shanxi, Shanghai, Shaanxi, Guizhou, and Gansu.

A total of 1,024 vehicles participated in the pilot, including passenger cars, vans and heavy trucks, with a total mileage of 184 million kilometers, and collected 500 million data related to the economy, environmental protection, reliability, safety and adaptability of methanol vehicles. Multiple technical data.

The evaluation summary report supported by technical data fully proves that methanol can be safely used in motor vehicles as a fuel.

　　In March 2019, eight ministries and commissions including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Science and Technology jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Application of Methanol Vehicles in Some Areas", and proposed to focus on Shanxi, Shaanxi, Guizhou, Gansu, etc. Promote the application of methanol vehicles in regions with operating experience.

In September 2021, methanol vehicles will be included in the unified management of the national automobile industry.

In November of the same year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology proposed in the "14th Five-Year" Industrial Green Development Plan to promote the promotion and application of carbon dioxide-coupling methanol production and other carbon reduction technologies, incorporate methanol vehicles into green products, and promote the promotion of alternative fuel vehicles such as methanol vehicles.

So far, the promotion and application of methanol vehicles in my country has completed a standardized closed-loop management system for development policies, administrative management, technical standards, market access specifications, and organizational promotion and application.

　　Applications vary from place to place

　　At present, my country's technical reserves of methanol vehicles are at the leading level in the world, and the promotion and application of methanol vehicles has begun to take shape.

However, in the promotion and application, the progress varies from place to place.

　　Guizhou Province ran ahead.

Xiang Changquan, deputy director of the Guizhou Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, introduced that since the first batch of methanol vehicles were put into trial operation in Guiyang in 2015, after 8 years of development, the cumulative number of methanol vehicles put into operation in Guizhou has exceeded 18,400, accounting for the national total. Promote the operation of more than two-thirds of the total number of methanol vehicles, put into operation more than 80 methanol fuel filling stations, consume about 250,000 tons of methanol annually, and replace about 150,000 tons of gasoline.

　　Among them, Guiyang City has put into operation a total of 17,900 methanol vehicles and 67 methanol fuel filling stations, making it one of the cities with the largest scale of methanol fuel and methanol vehicle market promotion in the world.

Through the promotion of methanol vehicles, Guiyang's dependence on gasoline has been reduced by nearly 8% compared with before.

As a result, Guiyang has formed a methanol economic industrial chain ending in taxis, which is called the Guiyang Model of Methanol Vehicles in the industry.

　　Shanxi Province is a methanol-enriched area.

After years of exploration and development, Jinzhong City has initially formed a whole industrial chain system of methanol production research and development, equipment manufacturing, transmission, distribution and filling.

Among them, Geely Jinzhong Base is the main enterprise in the new energy vehicle industry chain in Shanxi Province. Every 90 seconds, a new energy vehicle rolls off the production line, accounting for 95% of the province's output, and its output value will exceed 20 billion yuan in 2022.

The person in charge of Jinzhong City said that Shanxi is a province with a large demand for heavy trucks, with a stock of about 450,000. According to the annual replacement rate of 13% to 15%, there is a market demand for about 60,000 heavy trucks in the province alone.

　　Geely Automobile has started research on methanol fuel and methanol vehicles since 2005, and is the first private enterprise in China to set foot in the field of methanol vehicles.

Over the past 18 years, Geely has successfully solved industry problems such as alcohol resistance and durability of methanol engine parts in this field, mastered more than 200 core patented technologies for methanol vehicles, and also has a full chain of methanol vehicle R&D, manufacturing and sales system capability.

　　"Methanol is corrosive. If left on the car for a long time, the engine, oil pump, and fuel tank are easily damaged. The technical problems involved in it have now been solved by us." Li Shufu told reporters that up to now, Geely has developed more than 20 vehicles. A total of 28,000 methanol vehicles have been put on the market, with a maximum operating mileage of 1.2 million kilometers and a total operating mileage of over 10 billion kilometers.

　　It is understood that at present, car companies including Sinotruk, Shaanxi Heavy Truck, Yutong, etc. have laid out the methanol car industry chain, but there are not many car companies that have methanol cars on the market.

To a large extent, methanol vehicles are still "regional vehicles" in pilot cities, and their promotion faces many obstacles and obstacles.

　　Accelerated development still needs policy support

　　"First of all, we need to achieve a breakthrough in cognition." Li Can, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the transformation of carbon dioxide into methanol has been scientifically broken, but it has not been fully recognized by the market.

"For green methanol to become an industry and methanol vehicles to be effectively promoted, it is necessary to change the misunderstanding of methanol in the society and understand the national 'dual carbon' strategy behind it."

　　Methanol vehicles have not been included in the development system and management of new energy vehicles, which also leads to a lack of basis and support for methanol vehicles to be recognized as new energy vehicles and receive new energy licenses.

According to some pilot cities, the promotion and application of domestic methanol-fueled vehicles are currently carried out in a market-oriented form, which is quite different from the development path of new energy vehicles, so consumers rarely pay attention to them.

They called on the state to incorporate methanol vehicles into the new energy vehicle system for management and enjoy treatment such as license plates, driving and taxes.

　　In response to the practical difficulties encountered in the promotion of methanol vehicles, Fu Yuwu, honorary chairman of the Society of Automotive Engineers of China, suggested that the country should promote industrial development by referring to the management of natural gas vehicle fuel.

For example, promote the construction of a methanol vehicle fuel filling system; clarify the centralized management department for the construction of methanol filling stations, and form a standardized process for the planning, approval, construction, and acceptance of methanol filling stations through methods including legislation, so as to implement methanol for subsequent countries. The popularization and application of automobiles provides a model that can be quickly replicated; supports and encourages gasoline and diesel, LNG (liquefied natural gas) filling stations to rebuild or add methanol filling functions; develops methanol fuel filling systems according to local conditions, and approves mobile filling vehicles, skid-mounted stations, fixed Stations and other filling forms to meet the filling needs; clarify the methanol price control system, and establish a price linkage management mechanism with natural gas; incorporate the engineering design and construction requirements of methanol filling stations into the "Code for the Construction of Automobile Refueling, Gas and Hydrogen Refueling Stations" Standards, overall specifications; etc.

　　"Any industry is an ecology, and it cannot be supported by one or two companies alone." Shen Yuan, general manager of the Collaborative Innovation Center of Geely Holding Group, said that at present, three passenger car companies in my country have completed methanol technical reserves, and two commercial vehicle companies have Three OEMs will launch related products soon.

He firmly believes that "when a pioneer runs through the track, more and more players will join the industry to help the industry speed up."

(Economic Daily reporter Yang Zhongyang)