Highway operator PLUS Malaysia has opened its first solar-powered electric vehicle charging station at the Ayer Keroh southbound R&R area on the North-South Expressway. Built in a collaboration with the Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia) and the United Nations Industry Development Organisation (UNIDO), the facility offers free, 100% renewable energy for charging EVs. The charging station, part of its effort to preserve the environment, has been operational since May 2018, and the company says it has received positive response from EV owners. There are discussions already underway to build more of these stations at other rest stops such as in Pagoh (southbound), Tapah (southbound), Dengkil (southbound), Gunung Semanggol (northbound) and Seremban (northbound). “Each day, approximately 1.7 million vehicles utilise the PLUS highway. We believe that the EV charging station will offer convenience to the EV public, especially frequent highway users plying … [Read more...] about PLUS offers free solar EV charging at Ayer Keroh R&R
Local News
Kuching to begin electric bus service early next year
Sarawak’s first electric bus service is set to commence operations in Kuching next year, Utusan Borneo reports. The service will begin with a pilot project, initiated by local company Henz Pasific and its partner, Chinese manufacturer Zhejiang CRRC Electric Vehicle. The initial deployment will involve a 14 km-long pilot route covering Satok, Heritage Trail and iCOM Square. According to Henz Pasific MD Henry Lai, the project is slated to begin early next year. “The bus will start its journey at Main Bazaar from 7 am and will end at 6 pm at Khoo Hun Yeang Road (open air market),” he said, adding that the service will be free to all riders for the first three months. Lai said with the CRCC city electric bus will have a seating capacity of 53 and is wheelchair-friendly, with space provisions for the latter. Aside from features such as free Wi-Fi, it will also be equipped with a GPS tracking system and closed circuit cameras for security measures. The bus has an operating … [Read more...] about Kuching to begin electric bus service early next year
MARii to retain MAI’s core focus on automotive sector development, aims to prepare industry ready for future
The Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) may have been rebranded as the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), but the institute says its core focus on the automotive industry hasn’t changed despite the expansion of its scope. According to MARii CEO Datuk Madani Sahari, the role and responsibilities of the agency – which is under the purview of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) – remains identical to that prior to the renaming, with the new inclusions to the portfolio meant to help develop the country’s automotive sector to meet future needs and demands. The expansion will add on the institute’s coverage in areas such as overall mobility, including intelligent transportation systems and related services through the adoption of robotics and the internet of things (IoT), and MARii will be looking into enhancing the development and application of these. “The automotive sector is one of, if not the main driver of … [Read more...] about MARii to retain MAI’s core focus on automotive sector development, aims to prepare industry ready for future
Bill to ease the cancellation of vehicle registration, removal of abandoned cars passed in Parliament
The Dewan Rakyat has passed the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2018, which will ease the cancellation process of vehicle registration. This will in turn facilitate the disposal of abandoned vehicles by local authorities, Bernama reports. Deputy transport minister Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar said that based on available records, there are 27.4 million registered vehicles in the country, and from that total, 9.7 million units are believed to be no longer active as their road tax have not been renewed. Kamaruddin added that his ministry would be cooperating with the housing and local government ministry, as well as local councils to streamline the standard operating procedure (SOP) currently used to dispose abandoned vehicles. “The ministry will be reviewing the time taken to process damaged vehicles to expedite the disposal of the vehicles, so as not to pollute the environment, and the disposal is only carried out at registered disposal centres as well as compliance to … [Read more...] about Bill to ease the cancellation of vehicle registration, removal of abandoned cars passed in Parliament
PM launches B10 biodiesel programme
Prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched the B10 biodiesel programme for the transportation sector today at Putrajaya. B10 biodiesel – which contains 10% palm oil, up from the 7% blend currently sold at the pumps – will be mandatory from February 1 next year. The PM – who symbolically flagged off five oil tankers from Petronas, Shell, Petron, BHPetrol and Caltex at the event – says that the use of B10 biodiesel will reduce the emission of 1.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, and the move will also boost demand for Malaysian palm oil. “The air quality, especially in the urban areas, will also increase through the use of biodiesel with the reduced emission of dust and black smoke into the air. The implementation of the B10 programme is apt at this time in view of the lower price of palm oil biodiesel compared to petroleum diesel,” Mahathir said, reported by Bernama. He added that the programme will also help the country to … [Read more...] about PM launches B10 biodiesel programme