A new Chinese EV is turning heads by pairing a 93 kW methanol engine with an electric motor, creating a hybrid system that challenges the usual battery‑only narrative. Instead of treating liquid fuel as a relic, this layout uses methanol as a range extender and power source for a modern plug‑in drivetrain. It is a bold attempt to blend combustion, alternative fuels, and electrification into one package that can slot into existing fueling habits while still cutting tailpipe emissions.
At the center of this experiment is Geely, a Chinese automotive group that has spent years refining methanol engines on roads, in fleets, and even at sea. The company is now pushing that experience into the mainstream passenger market, betting that a compact 93 kW unit feeding a battery and motor can deliver both performance and flexibility in markets where charging infrastructure is uneven and energy security is a political priority.
The 93 kW methanol–electric powertrain, explained
The core of the new Chinese EV concept is a compact methanol engine rated at 93 kW that works in concert with an electric motor and plug‑in battery pack. Rather than driving the wheels alone, the engine is designed to operate in its most efficient window, supplying power to a lithium‑iron‑phosphate battery that then feeds the traction motor. Reports on the Chinese EV describe a system where the methanol unit, producing up to 93 kW, is integrated into a modern plug‑in hybrid layout rather than bolted into a traditional drivetrain.
This architecture allows the car to run in pure electric mode for shorter trips, then lean on methanol for longer journeys or high‑load driving, which is a familiar pattern for plug‑in hybrids but with a very different fuel. Coverage of the same Chinese EV notes that Geely has been testing methanol engines in both conventional and plug‑in systems, which helps explain why the company is confident enough to pair a 93 kW unit with a lithium‑iron‑phosphate pack in a production‑oriented design.
Geely Galaxy Starshine 6 and methanol’s move toward the mainstream
The most visible expression of this strategy is the methanol plug‑in hybrid version of the Geely Galaxy Starshine 6 that has surfaced in regulatory filings in China. In documents from the country’s Ministry of Industry and Informat, the Geely Galaxy Starshine appears with a methanol‑capable engine and plug‑in hardware, signaling that this is not just a lab project but a car being prepared for real customers. The hybrid packs a 93 kW engine into a body style that mirrors the current Starshine 6, suggesting Geely wants methanol to feel like a normal option in a familiar compact family car rather than a niche science experiment, a point underscored by filings tied to the Geely Galaxy Starshine in China’s Ministry of Industry and Informat system.
By choosing a mainstream model as the launchpad, Geely is effectively testing whether buyers will accept methanol as just another fuel choice alongside gasoline, diesel, and pure battery power. The regulatory appearance of the methanol plug‑in hybrid version indicates that the company is moving beyond pilot fleets and into the mass‑market approval process, which is a critical step if methanol is to become a regular sight in Chinese showrooms. The fact that the 93 kW engine is integrated into a plug‑in package, rather than a standalone combustion car, also shows that Geely sees methanol as part of the broader electrification wave rather than a detour away from it.
Two decades of methanol groundwork inside Geely
The decision to put a 93 kW methanol engine into a family EV did not come out of nowhere. Geely has spent more than 20 years working with methanol, building what it describes as a Global Leader position in the Methanol Ecosystem that spans passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and even marine applications. The company’s own overview of its methanol projects highlights multiple generations of engines and vehicles, culminating in a fifth generation that extends the technology into hybrid and electric contexts.
That long runway has already produced road‑going methanol hybrids. Geely Holding Group Co, described as the largest private Chinese automaker, has previously delivered a methanol‑battery hybrid car that combined a combustion engine with an electrified powertrain. Reporting on that program notes that Geely Holding Group has also supplied methanol trucks in Denmark and Iceland, which shows that the company has been willing to test the fuel in very different climates and regulatory environments. Those earlier hybrids and export trucks laid the technical and logistical foundation for the more ambitious 93 kW methanol plug‑in system now being readied for broader consumer use.
Why Zhejiang Geely keeps betting on methanol
From a strategic standpoint, Zhejiang‑based Geely is treating methanol as one pillar in a diversified low‑carbon portfolio that also includes battery EVs and hydrogen fuel‑cell vehicles. Company leaders have been explicit that they intend to press on with methanol vehicles even as the rest of the industry focuses on pure battery platforms, positioning methanol as a way to use existing liquid‑fuel infrastructure while cutting lifecycle emissions when the fuel is produced from cleaner sources. In comments about its long‑term roadmap, Zhejiang Geely has been described as one of a small number of automakers still actively developing methanol‑powered vehicles, alongside its work on battery and hydrogen technologies.
That persistence reflects both domestic policy and commercial calculation. China has significant coal and natural gas resources that can be converted into methanol, and it has also been exploring biomass and renewable pathways, which makes methanol attractive as a locally controlled energy carrier. For Geely, a 93 kW methanol engine that feeds an electric drivetrain offers a way to tap that fuel base while still delivering the smooth, torque‑rich driving experience that EV buyers expect. The company’s continued investment in methanol taxis and other pilot fleets, referenced in coverage of its methanol vehicles, suggests that Geely sees real commercial upside if it can prove the technology at scale.
From cars to ships, a broader methanol ecosystem
The 93 kW methanol hybrid powertrain in a Chinese EV is only one piece of a much larger puzzle that Geely is assembling around the fuel. The company has also backed the launch of what it describes as the world’s first methanol hybrid electric ship, extending the same basic idea of a methanol engine feeding electric propulsion into the maritime sector. In its own description of this vessel, Geely frames itself as a Global Leader in the Methanol Ecosystem, with the ship serving as a showcase for how methanol hybrids can cut emissions in heavy transport, as detailed in its Global Leader narrative around the Methanol Ecosystem.
By pushing methanol hybrids into both road and sea applications, Geely is trying to create economies of scale in engine development, fuel logistics, and regulatory acceptance. The same combustion expertise that underpins the 93 kW car engine can inform larger marine units, while the battery and electric motor know‑how transfers back and forth between passenger vehicles and ships. For me, that cross‑sector strategy is what makes the new Chinese EV so significant: it is not just a quirky one‑off, but a visible node in a coordinated attempt to make methanol a standard part of the low‑carbon toolkit, sitting alongside pure battery EVs and hydrogen fuel‑cell vehicles rather than competing with them outright.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
