Geely seeks partners, Malaysia included, for development of methanol-hybrid powertrain technology

During the media tour of the Geely New Energy Powertrain R&D Centre in Hangzhou Bay, journalists from Malaysia and Europe were given a historical guide on the evolution of the group’s powertrain breakthroughs.

As we walked through a museum that showed Geely’s powertrains from the past 20 years, we saw how the company evolved from using borrowed Toyota technology to producing their own powertrains. These developmental periods are divided into eras and currently, Geely is in the 3.0 era.

This era is Geely Group’s most ambitious following the takeovers of Volvo and Lotus as well as purchasing stakes of Proton and Smart. In 2021, Geely and Volvo formed Aurobay which provides hybrid powertrain systems and recorded a sales volume of 3.24 million units in 2023.

Considering how almost every company in the automotive industry is putting most if not all their focus on battery electric vehicles (BEVs), it might seem odd from an outsider’s perspective for Geely to have an operation that deals in hybrid powertrain development.

Don't rule out hybrids yet

Yet, BEV sales are seeing slower growth in many markets with consumers feeling less excited about embracing fully electric.

Even China which has the world's highest number of BEV owners saw slow growth in BEV sales every month last year.

BEVs accounted for 25% of new vehicle sales in China in 2023 but plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) saw a 37% market share of the total volume in the same period. Even the best-selling BYD model in China, the BYD Song saw higher PHEV sales than BEVs.

This leads us back to Geely’s current strategy for the development of hybrids. By comparison, Geely stayed in 7th place in terms of electrified vehicle sales in the country last year but its market share grew from 3.7% in 2022 to 4.1%.

BYD might emerge as the runaway leader in BEV sales but when it comes to hybrids, Geely saw potential to capture that segment. PHEV sales in particular saw significant growth over the years as Chinese buyers still prefer a little bit of internal combustion to power their vehicles.

The Group currently has 13 models powered by the Aurobay-developed NordThor hybrid powertrains including the Geely Galaxy L7 PHEV, Lynk & Co 05 EM-P PHEV, and the Geely Boyue L HI-F hybrid SUVs.

The joint Volvo-Geely powertrain subsidiary also develops PHEV/hybrid modular platforms, petrol and diesel hybrid powerplants as well as dedicated hybrid transmissions (DHT) like the 3-speed gearbox used in the Galaxy L7.

Also read: Proton confirms PHEV model in 2025 and this Geely Galaxy L7 might provide some clues

Geely's pursuit on alternative fuel sources

Aside from existing electrified powertrain strategies, Aurobay is also developing hybrid engines that utilise alternative fuel sources like methanol and hydrogen. Geely has invested heavily in methanol as an alternative fuel source since 2005 and even constructed China’s first carbon dioxide-to-methanol recycling plant in Anyang.

Geely launched the world’s first methanol hybrid sedan in 2022, the Geely Emgrand M100 Hybrid. It is mainly used in fleet markets like taxis in Guiyang city.

The unit used in the Proton S70’s methanol-powered Chinese donor is a naturally aspirated 1.8-litre 4-cylinder unit (130 PS/175 Nm) paired to an electric motor (134 PS/320 Nm) for a combined output of 264 PS and 495 Nm.

Still, at the media tour, Aurobay revealed a newly developed methanol powerplant. The DHE20-M is a turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-4 unit that produces 204 PS and 360 Nm.

The engine has not been put into production at the moment, but Geely is seeing a lot of promise in methanol development in China. The fuel source is not as readily available as petrol or diesel in China but with significantly lower emissions, it is something that should comply with the country's plan to be a carbon-neutral nation by 2060.

Besides methanol, Geely is also looking into the development of hydrogen powertrains. In March 2023, Geely signed a letter of intent with Renault Group and Aramco, the national oil producer of Saudi Arabia to develop low-emission powertrain technologies that support hydrogen.

Alongside the 2.0-litre methanol engine, Geely also displayed a 2.0-litre turbocharged hydrogen powerplant. DHE20-H is an inline-four Miller cycle unit with a 13:1 compression ratio and makes 143 PS/230 Nm. Geely claims it has a 46.11% thermal efficiency in internal tests which is lower and more efficient than that of conventional petrol-powered engines (50-75%).

Just like the methanol unit, the hydrogen engine is still not introduced for production. Hydrogen-powered cars were once seen as the future but aside from Geely, only Toyota seems to be continuing its development.

With the development of alternative fuel-powered engines underway, Geely is looking to expand further studies outside of China. It is also open to talks with Malaysia for methanol development.

During the tour, Geely Auto vice president, Wang Ruiping told journalists that the company is open to discussions to set up a project for methanol-powered vehicle development in Malaysia. “There are potential opportunities for collaboration. We can talk about the details,” she informed reporters.

As Malaysia plans to ramp up efforts in producing green and sustainable fuel, could Geely spur more action for alternative fuels in the country?

Also read: Geely aims to cut carbon emissions by 25% in 5 years and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045