Gasgoo Munich- On April 11, speaking at the Intelligent Electric Vehicle Development Forum 2026, Li Shufu, chairman of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, stated that China's auto industry has completed a century-defining leap from traditional internal combustion engines to smart electrification. He attributed this transformation to the strategic decisions of the central government and the collective effort of the entire automotive community.
Image source: China EV100 Research Institute
Li highlighted a series of policy breakthroughs. In July 2024, the central government underscored the critical need for infrastructure supporting charging, battery swapping, hydrogen refueling, and methanol stations. That August, subsidies of up to 2,200 CNY per tonne were approved for clean-energy vessels powered by methanol and similar fuels. By October, six government departments proposed developing green fuels tailored to local conditions and exploring integrated bases that combine wind, solar, hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol. To Li, these represent pivotal strategic decisions for both national energy security and a comprehensive green transition.
Tracing the evolution of methanol vehicles, Li noted that since the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology began pilot programs in 2012, and eight ministries issued joint guidance on promotion in 2019, 39 cities across the country have rolled out more than 80 policy documents. Li pointed out that methanol electric vehicles are lighter, deliver better carbon reduction throughout the ecosystem, and offer superior lifecycle economics. Methanol's energy density is more than ten times that of lithium batteries; for the same payload, a lithium battery vehicle weighs roughly twice as much as a methanol electric vehicle. Geely has championed this cause for over two decades and is finally seeing the dawn of success. He called on the industry to move quickly to implement central directives, bolster the "liquid sunshine" green energy sector, and take the methanol electric vehicle industry to new heights.
