If an engine fire develops in a methanol-fueled Indy race car, the pit crew simply pours water on the fire to put it out. Normally, the car is able to get back in the race in a matter of seconds. As an additive in gasoline, MTBE is the oxygenate that helps reformulated gasoline burn cleaner. Methanol also is the fuel of choice for fuel cell vehicles. In a fuel cell, hydrogen from methanol and air react in an electrochemical process to produce electricity.
Methanol is an ideal hydrogen carrier for fuel cell vehicles.
Methanol fuel cell vehicles hold the promise of providing vehicles with the same range as today's internal combustion engine without the pollution. The advent of methanol fuel cell vehicles may make tailpipes altogether a thing of the past. Methanol is a liquid chemical that can be made from renewable resources such as municipal solid waste and biomass crops. Today, methanol is primarily made from domestic natural gas. The United States produces nearly one-quarter of the world's supply of methanol.