The memory of high oil prices has been awakened again, and high lithium prices are putting pressure on the new energy industry chain to the limit.
This side of the box, affected by the Conflict between Russia and Ukraine and other factors, the world's oil and gas prices have been running wild, and everyone feels the same way.
Domestic refined oil products are also faintly moving from the "8 era" to the "9 era". One tank of oil is equal to a bicycle, and buying an electric bicycle with four tanks of oil is no longer a funny network paragraph, but a reality that we have begun to take for granted.
Over there, the great development of new energy vehicles has catalyzed the rise of lithium resources, and from the second half of 2020, lithium prices have also opened a soaring mode.
With the price transmission of the industrial chain, it is ultimately the consumer who pays the bill. The most typical example is that Tesla and new car-making forces have raised prices at the beginning of this year.
Because of the fear of the oil crisis, there is a spring of lithium. So what should we do if the lithium crisis is coming?
In such a context, we can't help but have such questions and expectations, will methanol be the next generation of clean energy? Will methanol cars be as popular as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles in the future?
Persistence and perseverance
"Methanol will play an extremely important role in establishing a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system. Promoting the use of methanol vehicles is the most realistic and effective way to achieve healthy and sustainable development in the field of transportation."
——This is one of the proposals made by Li Shufu on behalf of Geely and representing the automotive industry at this year's National Two Sessions.
We all know that Li Shufu's proposals for the past two sessions have covered all aspects of China's automotive industry over the past few years, but methanol and methanol vehicles have always been high-frequency words that often appear in Li Shufu's proposals. This year is the fourth time that Li Shufu has mentioned "methanol vehicles" in his proposal.
Continuing to pay attention to methanol cars, an energy track that is not particularly popular, reflects Geely's innate boldness and vision.
Many people may not know that Geely is the well-deserved leader of China's methanol automobile industry, and it is also the earliest layout and leader of methanol automobiles.
Since 2005, Geely has been developing methanol-powered vehicles. In 2012, Geely became the first company to have a methanol automobile manufacturing qualification.
Subsequently, Geely gradually began to mass-produce methanol vehicles in multiple production bases across the country, and carried out methanol vehicle application pilots in Xi'an, Jinzhong, Guiyang and other cities.
Up to now, Geely has invested more than 3 billion yuan in research and development, and has more than 200 related core patents. In the field of application, Geely methanol automobile has produced more than 20 methanol passenger cars and commercial vehicles in six generations, which is the enterprise with the highest market investment.
Geely methanol passenger cars have been operated on a large scale of 27,000 vehicles, with a total operating mileage of 8 billion kilometers and a maximum single mileage of 1.2 million kilometers.
Persistence is lonely, persistence is the need for courage, once the wind comes, persistence and persistence will be transformed into the starting advantage of the track and technical dividends.
The times never hesitate to return the foresight of those who hold their ground.
Human beings' pursuit of a better life is unlimited, so the demand for energy is also endless. The three traditional fossil fuels of oil, natural gas and coal are like a troika, bringing mankind from the age of steam to the era of electrification.
Like two sides of a coin, high carbon emissions and energy security are like two tight hoops locking down the future of traditional fossil fuels.
Methanol is a clean and convenient energy source, which emits carbon dioxide and water after combustion, which is cleaner than gasoline and diesel. At the same time, compared with new energy forms such as electric energy and hydrogen energy, the liquid properties of methanol determine that it can be stored and transported like gasoline and diesel.
Compared with traditional fossil energy, methanol is also a form of energy that can effectively guarantee the energy security of the mainland.
China is the world's second largest refining and oil consumer, the third largest natural gas consumer, crude oil foreign dependence of nearly 70%, natural gas foreign dependence of more than 40%. In recent years, the international situation has been complex and changeable, which has brought new challenges to the mainland's energy security.
Technically, the availability of methanol is almost unlimited, an energy source that is almost inexhaustible. Especially in the preparation, it is also in line with the energy characteristics of the mainland's "lack of oil and gas relatively rich in coal".
The development of methanol vehicles is of great significance to the energy security and energy structure adjustment of the mainland, and this is also doomed to a bright future for methanol vehicles.
Challenges and vents
So, why has the industrialization scale effect of methanol vehicles not really highlighted so far? Is it caused by the rumored toxicity and corrosiveness of methanol fuel?
Of course not.
As early as 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology took the lead in organizing the pilot work of methanol vehicles in five provinces and cities across the country, and the safety, environmental protection, reliability, economy and applicability of methanol vehicles were fully verified.
In fact, when the proportion of methanol incorporated into gasoline and diesel is M15 (15% methanol content) and M30 (30% methanol content), even the engine structure of the car does not need to be changed.
When using methanol fuels with high methanol content (M85, M100), Geely has the iterative ability of methanol-specific engines accumulated over many years of research and development, and can fully cope with it.
Today, with high oil prices and lithium prices, methanol vehicles are ushering in the era of industrialization.
In 2022, the scale of methanol vehicles has come, and Geely has almost single-handedly shouldered the heavy responsibility of the scale of the methanol automobile industry.
As a blockbuster work under the guidance of the "Smart Geely 2025" strategy, the 4th generation Ofteol electric hybrid sedan has been exposed.
The 4th generation Emgrand creatively combines alcohol and electricity with two clean energy sources, showing geely's 6th generation methanol car closer to perfection.
Obviously, the keyword of the new car is in the 4 words of "alcohol-electric hybrid".
The new car is equipped with a methanol/electric hybrid engine modeled JLC-4M18H with a maximum power of 132 horsepower, matched by a 3-speed hybrid electric drive DHT PRO, which can be paralleled in the full speed domain, and the cocool can be electrically extended. Moreover, the alcohol consumption of 100 kilometers is about 9L, and the travel cost per kilometer is less than 3 cents, which is equivalent to the oil price returning to the 3 yuan era, and truly achieving low energy consumption and strong power.
There is no suspense, the 4th generation of Emporium alcohol hybrid sedan as the world's first alcohol-electric hybrid sedan, geely officially defined as a global strategic model.
It should be emphasized that the R&D and application of Geely methanol vehicles was shortlisted for the special award of the jury of the second "China Automotive Festival" of CCTV.
Because Pepsi has adjusted its taste to be sweeter, this small move can change market share and force Coca-Cola to scramble.
The change of gilly alcohol + electricity seems to be a small step for Geely, but it is a big step for human beings to explore clean energy.
When the reality of the ideal, the original heart encountered challenges, Geely did not mess up in the noisy new energy track, on the contrary, the persistence and adherence to new technologies corresponded to the famous saying that "the truth is in the hands of a few people".
Perhaps, a trillion-level alcohol-electric hybrid market, because of Geely's leverage, has quietly started.