By Ling Hui
KUCHING, July 27: Sarawak will soon have its own hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV) assembly plant here, says Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Dr Hazland Abang Hipni.
He said Sarawak is looking into assembling fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) powered by hydrogen locally, to reduce selling prices and encourage EV usage.
“We will have a hydrogen car assembly plant, a foreign brand. So that the price (of EVs) can be affordable.
“If we buy from outside, it’s going to be very expensive because of tax,” he told a press conference at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here today.
Dr Hazland said any EVs from Korea such as Hyundai and Nissan Leaf could easily cost RM130,000 to RM140,000 each, while Tesla’s EVs are at least RM300,000, which is not affordable.
“If we assemble the (electric) cars here in Sarawak, of course they will be much cheaper,” he explained.
When asked about details, Dr Hazland only hinted that the plant site is very near to BCCK, and said he would leave the official announcement to Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg in due time.
Among those present were Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Institute of Future Energy director Prof Dr Arshad Ahmad and UTM deputy vice-chancellor (Research and Innovation) Prof Dr Rosli Md Illias. — DayakDaily
