Tired of the strong diesel fumes coming out from the buses that fill our streets? We might be bidding them goodbye anytime soon as the Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) had just exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding between three parties on the development and manufacturing of Electric Bus, Lithium Ion Battery and Public Transportation Information System (PTIS).
The MoU that involves ARCA Corporation Sdn. Bhd., AutoCRC Ltd and Swinburne University of Technology is an extension to the existing cooperation between Malaysia and Australia under the Malaysia Australia Free Trade Agreement (MAFTA).
Basically, the cooperation will see the research, development and commercialisation in three major areas which are lithium ion battery systems for electric vehicles (EV), development of modular EV driveline system for bus application, and a PTIS suitable for fleet management.
The commercial release of products will begin in the second quarter of this year, but the first working prototype should be ready in the first quarter of 2015. If all goes well, electric-powered buses will be rolling on our streets as early as 2016, with Putrajaya and Langkawi being their first operational grounds.
“Once we have launched both phases (Putrajaya and Langkawi), we will then begin our plan to run these electric buses in Kuala Lumpur”, said Arca Corp Sdn. Bhd. Executive Chairman, Che Azizuddin Che Ismail.
Also announced during the ceremony were six roadmaps for the development of the local automotive industry by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. These roadmaps will be supervised by MITI, while the MAI will be responsible in coordinating and implementing them. The roadmaps in mention are the Malaysia Automotive Technology Roadmap (MATR), Malaysia Automotive Supply Chain Development Roadmap (MASR), Malaysia Automotive Human Capital Development Roadmap (MAHR), Malaysia Automotive Remanufacturing Roadmap (MARR), Malaysia Automotive Bumiputera Development Roadmap (MABR), and the Development of Automotive Authorized Treatment Facilities (ATF) Framework.
