Super Quick Charge-Electric Buses Enter Service in Malaysia

Tokyo–Putrajaya, Malaysia’s administrative capital, today took a major step toward a clean-energy, zero-emission future with the grand launch of the PUTRA NEDO EV BUS PROJECT, which replaces fossil-fuel-driven buses with a fleet of Super-Quick Charge electric buses. Eight single-deck buses took to the streets today, operated by Putrajaya Public Transport Travel & Tours (PAPTT), known as “Nadiputra,” and they will provide regular services in Putrajaya and between the administrative capital and Cyberjaya, the neighboring city and high-tech center.

Overseen by Putrajaya Corporation and Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), the EV bus project has a 5-year budget of approximately 3.6 billion yen. It will monitor and test the buses’ overall performance, and evaluate their ability to replace CNG- and diesel-fueled buses, both sources of environmental emissions. Today’s ceremony to mark the start of regular operations was attended by YBhg. Datuk Seri Adnan bin Hj. Md Ikshan, Secretary General, Ministry of Federal Territories (KWP); Datuk Seri Hj. Hasim bin Hj. Ismail, the President of Putrajaya Corporation; Mr Makoto Watanabe, the Executive Director of NEDO; and representatives of the project participants and their guests.

Electric buses promise towns and cities a zero-emission mass-transport solution—but they have to meet the demands of heavy daily use and local environments. In the tropics, that includes high temperatures and humidity. All of the buses in the Putrajaya fleet, which will grow to 13 buses in 2018 with the addition of two double-deckers, are equipped with Toshiba’s SCiB™ long-life lithium-ion rechargeable battery, recognized for its operating reliability and resilience in the harshest of operating conditions.

“We are delighted to cooperate with the Putrajaya authorities and Malaysian industry in developing a state-of-the-art, low-carbon urban transportation solution,” said Isao Aoki, Director and Corporate Vice President of Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation. “When it comes to charging batteries, the rule is simple: the faster the better. With Super Quick Charge, buses can operate all day long on short, repetitive charges, without hours of daytime down time. The technologies supporting this project are all on the cutting-edge, and have not even been deployed in Japan yet. We are excited to see the system contributing to emission-free, next-generation mass transit in Putrajaya.”

Chargers are installed at the bus termini of Putrajaya Sentral station and the buses can be quickly recharged there. Battery temperature and status, and the electronic characteristics of the buses and chargers during operation, are monitored by IoT systems for the purpose of efficient maintenance.

Toshiba is responsible for overall project management, and is collaborating with PUES Corporation (provider of the electric powertrains); HASETEC Corporation (provider of Super-Quick Chargers); and Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. (responsible for environmental and economic evaluation). The project is being subsidized by NEDO as part of its International Demonstration Project of Energy Consumption Efficiency Technology and System Demonstration Project.

The electric buses are manufactured by DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies Sdn. Bhd.(DEFTECH) , a Malaysian bus manufacturer, under its brand, with technical assistance from Japanese companies; it is also responsible for maintenance.

Demonstration Overview