Malaysian Company To Introduce Electric Buses In Two Years

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 (Bernama) -- National Infrastructure Company Ltd (Prasarana) plans to introduce electric bus for public transportation in two years to support the government's green environment initiatives. Prasarana Group Director for the Bus Division, Zohari Sulaiman said they would acquire between 10 and 15 buses initially before making it into mass requirement. "The electric buses that we're looking for are actually battery operated buses and its a better option to support the green environment..and its costly now for investment but over the time, it will be far better for long term compared with diesel buses. "For the electric bus technology, the most important thing is the battery protection," he told reporters at the 'Ride for Green Campaign' in conjunction with World Environment Day (WED) here on Wednesday. He said the cost of an electric bus could reach RM1.2 million (US$379,206.85) compared with diesel bus which cost between RM100,000 (US$31,600.57) and RM500,000 (US$158,002.85) from China and around RM700,000 (US$221,203.98) from Europe. The electric buses, which could last between 250km and 300km per-charging, would serve at selected routes and depots because they require particular charging facilities. --BERNAMA