100 methanol-powered buses to be piloted in Changzhi – latest industry updates

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According to reports from Coal Chemical Industry Talent Network, the Shanxi Provincial Economic and Information Commission has recently approved Yutong Bus Co., Ltd. to provide 100 methanol-powered urban buses for pilot testing in Changzhi City. This represents the first substantive progress made by Shanxi Province since it became a national pilot area for methanol-powered vehicles in February this year. 　　As a major province for coal chemical industry in China, Shanxi Province has always been at the forefront of promoting methanol fuel for vehicles. As early as 1998, Shanxi Province proposed to carry out pilot projects for methanol-powered vehicles. According to statistics, Shanxi Province currently has over 40 methanol fuel filling stations with a high proportion of such stations, and more than 1,000 gas stations are selling M15 methanol gasoline (gasoline mixed with 15% methanol) ； Approximately 15,000 vehicles have been modified to use methanol, with 6,000 of these vehicles using a mixture of methanol and traditional fuel. 　　Officials from the Shanxi Provincial Economic and Information Commission said that the province will seize this opportunity of the national pilot program to take the lead in making attempts, thereby promoting the development of the local fuel methanol industry, as well as the manufacturing of methanol-powered vehicles and their related components, in order to gain a competitive advantage. With the rollout of pilot projects for methanol-powered vehicles, the number of such vehicles in Shanxi Province is expected to exceed 100,000 by 2015, with the industry’s scale reaching 8 to 10 billion yuan, thus becoming a new strategic pillar industry for the province.