OREANDA-NEWS. March 15, 2012. China will test methanol-powered cars in the provinces of Shaanxi (west) and Shanxi (north), as well as in the eastern municipality of Shanghai, in order to evaluate their environmental impact.

The tests, which will be done for two or three years, will also determine the viability, reliability, economic efficiency and security of the vehicles, said the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Informatics.

The three regions will complete their assessments in the above mentiones period, said the Ministry in a statement released by local media.

According to the source, the Ministry started the research on methanol as fuel in 2009, in response to the rapid development of China's auto industry, the increasingly tight supply of oil and the government's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.