Malaysia needs not only good public transport, it must also be environmentally friendly
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| Malaysia needs not only good public transport, it must also be environmentally friendly |
https://youtu.be/ZPhBjED0PBs (VIDEO)
Prime Minister Najib Razak was recently quoted by the media as saying a good public transport system could help propel Malaysia’s economic growth, aside from improving the people's quality of life.
While that is absolutely true, there is also another very important factor to consider on raising the rakyat (people)’s quality of life. And that is the ENVIRONMENT!
“Whatever the policy or efforts to improve public transport, it must be complemented with a sound environmental policy which must be given top priority,” Gerakan Deputy Speaker Syed Abdul Razak Alsagoff said.
He said the total number of registered vehicles on Malaysian roads had passed 25 million units, all being powered by Internal Combustion Engines (ICE).
“ The more ICE motor vehicles we put on the roads, the more polluted the environment gets. This is just plain common sense.
“Therefore, both state and federal governments must, as soon as possible, start phasing out ICE motor vehicles on Malaysian roads for environmental friendly vehicles, like electric cars,” he added.
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“If they did, they would start going all out to promote hybrid and and electric cars. They would have started laying the infrastructure needed to support electric vehicles.
“They would also not just continue investing into Proton to continue with manufacturing more ICE-powered vehicles,” he added.
Syed Razak urged the federal government to formulate a comprehensive public transport policy that not only improved public transport but also the environment simultaneously.
“According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the number of electric vehicles on roads worldwide rose to a record high of two million last year. But IEA also reported that it has a long way to go to reach levels needed to help limit an increase in global temperatures,” he added.
Here are three issue-related news for you to chew on:
"Business News
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Wednesday, 7 June 2017 | MYT 5:03 PM
Number of electric vehicles on roads reaches 2 million, says IEA
LONDON: The number of electric vehicles on roads worldwide rose to a record high of 2 million last year, but has a long way to go to reach levels needed to help limit an increase in global temperatures, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday.
In 2015, the number of electric cars, including battery-electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell electric passenger light-duty vehicles, was 1 million, the IEA said in a report.
Even though that doubled last year, the global electric car stock is only 0.2 percent of the total number of passenger light-duty vehicles in circulation.
"They have a long way to go before reaching numbers capable of making a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emission reduction targets," the IEA said.
"In order to limit temperature increases to below 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, the number of electric cars will need to reach 600 million by 2040," it added.
Research and development and mass production improvements are resulting in lower battery costs and this trend should continue, which should narrow the cost competitiveness gap between electric vehicles and internal combustion engines.
There is a "good chance" the global electric car stock could reach carmaker estimates of between 9 and 20 million by 2020 and between 40 and 70 million by 2025, the report said.
The electric car market is still concentrated in a limited number of countries. Globally, 95 percent of electric car sales are taking place in just ten countries - China, the United States, Japan, Canada, Norway, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Last year, China overtook the United States as the country with the largest electric car stock, with around a third of the global total, the report said.
Even though battery costs have fallen since 2009, they are still a major component of cost and drive up retail prices.
Therefore, financial incentives such as rebates, tax breaks or exemptions are important to support electric car deployment, but they might need to be phased out when electric car costs rival those of internal combustion engines, the report said. - Reuters/The Star Online
Tech News
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Thursday, 13 July 2017 | MYT 6:00 AM
China could field nearly half of new electric car models by 2020
DETROIT: Chinese automakers are on track to produce 49 of the 103 new electric car models that will be launched globally by 2020, as part of China's push to accelerate the switch to battery power from oil, according to a new forecast released.
US consulting firm AlixPartners also said China is aiming to have nearly two-thirds of the world's manufacturing capacity for lithium-ion batteries by 2021, and is investing to support current sales of domestic-brand electric vehicles in the world's largest car market.
Already, Chinese automakers account for 96% of the electric vehicles sold in the country, AlixPartners said. Automakers sold about 350,000 electric vehicles in China in 2016 – still less than 2% of total vehicle sales.
By 2025, electric vehicle batteries should be close to even with internal combustion engines in terms of production costs, AlixPartners forecast. Lower battery costs could help boost consumer acceptance.
John Hoffecker, the firm's global vice chairman, told reporters at the Automotive Press Association in Detroit on Tuesday that other factors, such as a significant reduction of the time it takes to recharge electric car batteries, will be critical to efforts to win over reluctant consumers.
AlixPartners also cautioned that many of the roughly 50 companies it counts as contestants in the race to develop self-driving cars won't go the distance. "It's impossible to believe there will be 50 successful autonomous vehicle companies," Hoffecker said.
In the United States, AlixPartners said automakers will have to contend with funding investments in new technology against deep-pocketed technology industry players such as Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc, even as sales of cars and light trucks slide into a cyclical trough.
AlixPartners is forecasting that US car and light truck sales will fall to 15.2 million vehicles in 2019, down 13% from the 2016 peak. Other US analysts also predict a slowdown in vehicle sales during the next two to three years. — Reuters/The Star Online
Good public transport spurs economic growth; improves living standards: PM
By ARFA YUNUS - July 7, 2017 @ 4:33pm
KUALA LUMPUR: Over 500,000 people in the Klang Valley will benefit from the Sungai Buloh-Kajang Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line once its second phase begins operations later this month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.
He pointed out that a good public transport system could help propel Malaysia’s economic growth, aside from improving the people's quality of life.
“This month will mark a historic milestone in our public transport system with the completion of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) route.
"This route will serve over 500,000 passengers – a remarkable achievement for Prasarana Malaysia Bhd in efforts to provide a world class public transport system.
"All projects involving public transport are close to my heart, because I believe only a good public transport system can help generate the country's economic growth (and), primarily, improve the quality of the people's life," he said in his blog today.
The second phase of the route will complete the 51km Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT line following the first phase of the Sungai Buloh-Semantan route, which has 12 stations and started operations on Dec 16.
The prime minister said that with an integrated public transport network, more Malaysians now have the opportunity to improve their economic status and standard of living.
"In the past, the main problem was an unconnected public transport system. Now, the government strives to connect and expand further (so) that commuters can travel to their workplace faster and at a much lower cost.
"Time is gold. Indeed, more leisure time and transport cost savings will enhance the quality of the people's lives. Such investments prove that the welfare of the people continues to be given priority in the formulation of government policies today," Najib added. - NST Online"
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| Chinese automakers account for 96% of the electric vehicles sold in the country. — Reuters |
US consulting firm AlixPartners also said China is aiming to have nearly two-thirds of the world's manufacturing capacity for lithium-ion batteries by 2021, and is investing to support current sales of domestic-brand electric vehicles in the world's largest car market.
Already, Chinese automakers account for 96% of the electric vehicles sold in the country, AlixPartners said. Automakers sold about 350,000 electric vehicles in China in 2016 – still less than 2% of total vehicle sales.
By 2025, electric vehicle batteries should be close to even with internal combustion engines in terms of production costs, AlixPartners forecast. Lower battery costs could help boost consumer acceptance.
John Hoffecker, the firm's global vice chairman, told reporters at the Automotive Press Association in Detroit on Tuesday that other factors, such as a significant reduction of the time it takes to recharge electric car batteries, will be critical to efforts to win over reluctant consumers.
AlixPartners also cautioned that many of the roughly 50 companies it counts as contestants in the race to develop self-driving cars won't go the distance. "It's impossible to believe there will be 50 successful autonomous vehicle companies," Hoffecker said.
In the United States, AlixPartners said automakers will have to contend with funding investments in new technology against deep-pocketed technology industry players such as Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc, even as sales of cars and light trucks slide into a cyclical trough.
AlixPartners is forecasting that US car and light truck sales will fall to 15.2 million vehicles in 2019, down 13% from the 2016 peak. Other US analysts also predict a slowdown in vehicle sales during the next two to three years. — Reuters/The Star Online
Good public transport spurs economic growth; improves living standards: PM
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KUALA LUMPUR: Over 500,000 people in the Klang Valley will benefit from the Sungai Buloh-Kajang Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line once its second phase begins operations later this month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.
He pointed out that a good public transport system could help propel Malaysia’s economic growth, aside from improving the people's quality of life.
“This month will mark a historic milestone in our public transport system with the completion of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) route.
"This route will serve over 500,000 passengers – a remarkable achievement for Prasarana Malaysia Bhd in efforts to provide a world class public transport system.
"All projects involving public transport are close to my heart, because I believe only a good public transport system can help generate the country's economic growth (and), primarily, improve the quality of the people's life," he said in his blog today.
The second phase of the route will complete the 51km Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT line following the first phase of the Sungai Buloh-Semantan route, which has 12 stations and started operations on Dec 16.
The prime minister said that with an integrated public transport network, more Malaysians now have the opportunity to improve their economic status and standard of living.
"In the past, the main problem was an unconnected public transport system. Now, the government strives to connect and expand further (so) that commuters can travel to their workplace faster and at a much lower cost.
"Time is gold. Indeed, more leisure time and transport cost savings will enhance the quality of the people's lives. Such investments prove that the welfare of the people continues to be given priority in the formulation of government policies today," Najib added. - NST Online"
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N.37 LET BUKIT LANJAN SOAR WITH SYED ABDUL RAZAK ALSAGOFF
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