DRB-Hicom Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd (Deftech), a wholly-owned subsidiary of DRB-Hicom Bhd, has been given the authority to manufacture and maintain the Putra Nedo Electric Vehicle (EV) bus.
It is Malaysia’s first Super Quick Charge (SQC) EV. The SQC project is part of a technology transfer management via a government-to-government agreement between Malaysia and Japan.
Perbadanan Putrajaya (PPJ) and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (Nedo) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for this project.
Nedo is undertaken by a Japanese consortium that consists of Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corp, PUES Corp, Hasetec Corp and Oriental Consultants Global Company Ltd.
Deftech will become the regional hub for the production of SQC EV buses in all future expansions. SQC EV buses apply a different technology compared with other EV buses available in Malaysia.
The SQC system only requires a 10 minute charge between runs of an average of 30km via an overhead pantograph. Other commercial EV buses generally require an overnight charge, which requires an estimated six to eight hours to for optimal operation.
Backed by the full support of various ministries and its agencies, such as the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water and the Road Transport Department, the SQC EV bus project is the first step in making the Federal Government Administrative Centre a greener city.
To date, Deftech has been entrusted with manufacturing 11 Single Deck EV buses. A total of 8 buses have been supplied to PPJ, which are already in operation, whereas the remaining three units are scheduled to be delivered next year.
The Putrajaya Nedo EV bus is operated by Pengangkutan Awam Putrajaya Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd (Nadiputra), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PPJ, as part of the fleet that services the Putrajaya area.