Geely Holding Group, China’s largest private automaker, says it has started deliveries of the world’s first methanol-battery hybrid vehicle.
The vehicle, priced at 129,800 yuan ($19,373), was adapted from a compact sedan under Geely’s Emgrand brand and is initially being marketed in China.
Geely is also seeking to sell methanol vehicles in Europe. Earlier this year, it started to test methanol-powered cars and heavy-duty trucks in Denmark and Iceland.
It is fitted with a 1.8-liter methanol-powered engine and ternary lithium batteries, with fuel economy that is 40 percent better than a corresponding gasoline model, Geely said.
Geely is one of the few Chinese automakers hoping to develop and sell methanol-powered vehicles in volume.
It has invested more than 3 billion yuan to develop methanol vehicles since 2005 and has delivered some 27,000 methanol cars and trucks in China, Geely said.