On September 14, 2023, a handover ceremony was held in Taiping, Perak, Malaysia for the introduction of electric buses under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) & SDGs Business Support Project, “Promotion and Demonstration Project for Medium-sized Electric Bus Systems for Low-Emission Public Transportation,” conducted by PUES Co., Ltd. and Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. (OC Global). In attendance at the ceremony were representatives of the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), Perak State Assembly members, Khairul Amir Bin Mohamad Zubir, the Mayor of Taiping City, Masafumi Hosomi, the Counselor of the Embassy of Japan in Malaysia, and Yoshitaka Inagaki, Deputy Director of JICA Malaysia Office.

The exterior of the EV buses was introduced
in Taiping City

The photo of the handover ceremony

The photo of the test ride event

The photo of the passengers

Malaysia is promoting “Green Growth,” which aims to create high-value products and services using advanced technology while ensuring environmental conservation and achieving sustainable development. Specifically, the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to the level in 2005. Malaysia has an urgent challenge of decarbonizing public transportation by introducing electric vehicles (EVs) that do not emit carbon dioxide or air pollutants.

In this project, in the city of Taiping in the state of Perak, which is rich in natural and historical heritage, efforts were made to establish a public transportation model using electric buses. This involved the introduction of electric buses from PUES Co., Ltd. (including a fast charger), the transfer of high-performance Japanese electric bus technology to develop local industrial talent, the establishment of operational systems by the Taiping City Council (MPT) to operate and maintain electric buses, and the promotion of EV bus adoption to Malaysian government agencies and private entities.

Recognized as “environmentally friendly vehicles” with excellent environmental performance and high energy efficiency, electric buses are used for the “Taiping Heritage Trail,” covering 40 tourist attractions within Taiping City (with a total length of 11.5 km). Unlike existing diesel buses that emit various air pollutants such as carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and particulate matter (PM), electric buses do not emit any exhaust gases during operation. Additionally, the batteries and motors in electric buses require less energy than conventional internal combustion engines (engines) and enable long-distance travel with low noise and vibration. These features of electric buses contribute to conserving the environment in Taiping City and surrounding areas while promoting tourism in the city.

Through this demonstration project, it is expected that eco-tourism will be promoted in Taiping City, Perak, Malaysia, and the capacity to operate and maintain the MPT’s electric bus system will be improved.

OC Global contributes to the country’s dual objectives of environmental protection and tourism promotion by introducing medium-sized EV buses for low-emission public transportation. This initiative supports the decarbonization of public transportation and helps achieve a balance between environmental conservation and tourism development.