The GoKL City Bus free bus service is set to make the move to electrification, continuing Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL)’s ongoing plans to turn KL into a low-carbon city. As of November 1, the service will begin the switch to electric buses, with the first vehicle operating in the Wangsa Maju area.
Following this, additional units will join the fleet starting from early next year, and the eventual deployment plan will see a total of 60 units of the electric bus being utilised in the GoKL free bus service. They will eventually replace all the existing diesel-powered units currently in operation by early 2023.
In line with the switch, the bus livery is also being changed to green. At the launch of the electric bus today, FT minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim also announced that two new feeder routes are being added to the service, effective November 1.
These are the Parrot Green Line, a 13.8 km-long route from the Maluri MRT Transit Hub to Bandar Sri Permaisuri, and the Gray Line, a 16.7 km-long route from the Cochrane MRT terminal to Bandar Tun Razak. These join the four city (last mile) and five feeder (first mile) routes already in existence.
Some notes on the electric bus that will feature in the GoKL City Bus service. It’s built in Malaysia by SKS Coachbuilders, which is part of SKS Group, a local bus manufacturer. Aside from the driveline and electrical components (which are imported from China), the bus is fully fabricated here at the company’s facility in Kampung Pulau Meranti, Puchong, something that the company is especially proud of.
It can carry 31 passengers (21 seated, 10 standing) and has a maximum speed of 70 km/h, but optimally works best at speeds of up to 55-60 km/h. The energy storage consists of 299 kWh of capacity, available from eight lithium-ion traction battery packs housed at the rear of the bus. This provides up to 250 km of travel on a single charge.
Quoted charge times to full range are roughly from around 1.5 hours with the battery at 40% SOC to nearly three hours at an lower SOC. Incidentally, the origins of the driveline system is also why the charging system uses a China-specific GB/T Type 2 connector, in which the inlet on vehicles are female, opposite to that elsewhere.
According to SKS, which will operate and maintain the electric bus fleet, standard charging will be carried out overnight at its own depot, which will be located somewhere strategically in the city.
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Good. EV Buses for KL.
The true measure of a sustainable city is not whether it uses electric cars or not, but how clean and how efficient are its public transport, and how accessible it is to the underprivileged, including the old and disabled.
At the core of the UNDP’s solution for low carbon cities is not electric cars, which still rely on fossil fuel power plants, but public transport. Regardless of powertrain type, public transport is much greener than BEVs.
The world’s influential man in automotive is still not convinced and he has good reasons why
https://paultan.org/2021/09/28/carbon-is-our-enemy-not-ice-akio-toyoda-urges-japan-to-not-follow-europes-ev-model-blindly/
PT & rakan2 must have forgotten to publish an article about the 100 Toyota Sora FCEV buses running around Tokyo during this year’s Olympics.
FCEV Buses is even better, no need wait long charging time.
Hydrogen refuel is faster than electric refuel.
Then the electrified KL buses can travel non stop.
I think DBKL had plan ahead by installing solar panel at their premises. Malaysia power supply even is not 100% RE, there is large percentage of solar and hydro. The fossil fuel power station more efficient that ICE engine of diesel bus.
https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2019/08/03/dbkl-inks-deal-for-installation-of-solar-photovoltaic-systems
good move
Great move, making KL more breathable.
Horrible quality! Look at all the sharp edges inside the bus, so dangerous. Driver compartment also un-ergonomic with blind spots everywhere. And no proper side indicators which can be seen by traffic in the rear of the bus / blind spots. JPJ Teknik is approving this..?!?
Horrible quality! Look at the interior – all the sharp edges everywhere. Also the driver compartment is so un-ergonomic; blind spots everywhere and this is supposed to be a city bus where pedestrians and cyclists are everywhere! And the side indicators used are actually marker lights; motorists from behind / in the blind spot can’t see the bus indicating. JPJ Teknik is approving this design to be on the road?!?
Previously run by rapidkl pink colour buses,now when this service changed hand to green buses handled by causeway,a lot of problems regarding to bus drivers,not stopping to pickup passengers and as though this drivers own the bus…very sad
Yes. I just had the same experience & bus driver very rude and not admit his mistake