- AIWAYS signs Project Cooperation Agreement with the People’s Government of Gaoping City in Shanxi, China
- Agreement allows AIWAYS to build production base to manufacture 80,000 methanol hydrogen fuel cell power systems for future vehicles
- Methanol fuel cell acts as a range extender, continually charging battery
Shanghai, China, 12 November – AIWAYS has signed a Project Cooperation Agreement with the People’s Government of Gaoping City in Shanxi, China to build a new methanol fuel cell production facility in the city. In a bid to further accelerate the commercialization of methanol fuel cell vehicles, AIWAYS will produce 80,000 methanol hydrogen fuel cell power systems annually at the new facility, for application in future vehicles.
The agreement was signed by Fu Qiang, President and Co-Founder of AIWAYS and Yuan Jian, the Mayor of Gaoping City, during the Chinese International Import Expo (CIIE). The parties agreed to cooperate in the commercialization of the methanol fuel cell system jointly developed by AIWAYS and Blue World Technologies – a Danish developer and manufacturer of methanol fuel cell components and systems for the automotive industry.
Speaking after the signing ceremony, Fu Qiang said: “Methanol fuel cell technology is an important part of AIWAYS’ automotive energy and vehicle development plan and the agreement with Gaoping is a big step towards bringing the technology to market. With Gaoping’s pedigree in methanol fuel development, the city has the potential to be a key production base for us as we expect the technology to make a significant contribution to the decarbonization of the automotive industry.”
Methanol fuel cell technology is more efficient, environmentally friendly and convenient to use than the traditional methanol fuel and hydrogen vehicles. In a hybrid-setup that includes a small battery pack, the methanol fuel cell acts as a range extender delivering longer range, fast refueling with a liquid fuel and a reduction in air pollution. Using methanol as fuel provides an opportunity to utilize the existing fueling infrastructure, and, when using green methanol produced from renewable sources, is CO2 neutral. AIWAYS is demonstrating a strong commitment to reducing the environmental impact of transportation through accelerating the production and application of methanol fuel in vehicles. Gumpert AIWAYS presented a methanol fuel cell system in a pre-production Gumpert Nathalie during CIIE 2019.
Gaoping in Shanxi is the pilot city for methanol fuel cell vehicle application, making it the ideal location for AIWAYS to build their new methanol hydrogen fuel cell systems. Gaoping City has the capability to produce 300,000 tons of methanol per year, which the two partners will utilize in response to the new national requirements for low carbon development.
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Emma Hopgood, PFPR Communications
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