Methanol-fueled taxis put into service in Guiyang

Methanol-fueled taxis on display at a launching ceremony in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, on March 26. [Photo by Zhao Yandi/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A total of 100 M100 methanol-fueled taxis were put into operation in Guiyang, capital city of Guizhou province, on March 26. They were the city's first batch of methanol-fueled taxis in 2019.

Guizhou was listed as a methanol-fueled vehicle pilot area by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2015 and currently has the most methanol-fueled vehicles of any province in China.

According to the guideline released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and seven other ministries on March 19, China will accelerate the application of M100 methanol-fueled vehicles in Guizhou and other provinces.

Guizhou has set a goal of launching 10,000 methanol vehicles by the end of this year, among which 7,000 will run in Guiyang, according to the work plan of the provincial government. To date, a total of 5,374 methanol-fueled taxis have been put into operation.

It is reported that Guiyang currently has 23 methanol filling stations and 15 of them have been put into operation. The city has the highest number of methanol filling stations across China to meet local demand.

The greenhouse gas emission of methanol-fueled vehicles is about 80 percent lower compared to traditional gasoline vehicles. In addition, methanol-fueled vehicles are widely acclaimed by drivers because of their low cost and high stability.

"The average fuel consumption of a methanol-fueled taxi is 15 litres per hundred kilometers, a cost about 20 to 30 percent lower than a traditional gasoline vehicle," said Lu Wenqiang, a taxi driver from Guizhou Jideshi Taxi Co Ltd.

Zhao Yandi contributed to this story