Ahmad Hadri (left) and Zulkifli standing in front of one of the BRT buses.
WITH recent debates about poor air quality and the effects of carbon dioxide emission, it seems like electric vehicles are the way to go.
According to GreenTech Malaysia, transportation accounts for 20% of global energy use and passenger vehicles are responsible for 10% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.
In Malaysia, electric vehicles are still relatively unknown, but the Government is working to popularise the pollution-free transportation.
The country has already seen its first elevated electric bus service, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), which was officially opened in June this year.
The RM600mil BRT Sunway line has 15 environmental-friendly buses which connect to the Setia Jaya KTM Station and soon, the Kelana Jaya LRT Line.
The elevated track for the BRT also helped to reduce the traffic congestion in the area.
GreenTech Malaysia chief executive officer Ahmad Hadri Haris said the carbon emissions from fossil fuel vehicles should be taken into consideration when discussing air quality.
“We recently faced months of haze and by using electric vehicles, we could help reduce air pollution,” he said.
Many international cities have taken the initiative to use e-buses, such as London and Shenzhen.
A passenger looking at one of the many screens on the BRT showing the bus stops.
“Air pollution has become a big problem that is hard to manage, especially when the transportation sector is the biggest contributor, so these cities have introduced electric buses to tackle the issue,” he said.
The BRT buses are quiet, clean and do not pollute the environment.
The battery of the bus can last up to 250km before it needs to be recharged and its life span is about 12 years.
Even then, Ahmad Hadri said, the battery can be reused in homes or factories.
Although running and maintaining an electric bus is pricey, the overall impact to the environment could offset the cost.
Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Zulkifli Mohd Yusoff said that maintaining one e-bus could cost up to RM1mil compared to a diesel bus, which costs only RM700,000.
The Sunway- Setia Jaya BRT Station is connected to the Setia Jaya KTM station by a pedestrian walkway.
“If there is more demand for the technology, it could reduce the cost,” he said.
There are plans to widen the BRT line to other parts of the Klang Valley.
Under Budget 2016, the Government had announced two new BRT projects which would cost RM2.5bil.
The RM1.5bil BRT project between Kuala Lumpur and Klang would be implemented next year, while RM1bil would be allocated for the BRT project in Kota Kinabalu.
Zulkifli said the company was keen on introducing BRT in Sabah.
He said that representatives from the Sabah government had visited the BRT Sunway and wanted to have the same technology over there.
Meanwhile, the Kuala Lumpur-Klang BRT line would see a dedicated lane for the e-buses along Federal Highway and the line would connect to LRT and KTM stations.
Passengers sit comfortably on the bus as electric buses are practically soundless.
The BRT Sunway line project has also caught the attention of the Petaling Jaya City Council.
Zulkifli said the council had approached Rapid Bus to have four e-buses in their jurisdiction.
“It is great that the local authorities have taken an interest in public transportation.
“This will benefit the residents as the buses do not emit sound and smell,” he said.
Ahmad Hadri said the Government had targeted to have at least 20,000 electric buses by 2020.
“We need to shift the people’s mindset from using fuel to electricity as it is more efficient,” he said.
