Automotive components manufacturer EP Manufacturing (EPMB) has received approval from Malaysia’s road transport department (JPJ) for the licensing and registration of the company’s first-ever two-wheeled electric vehicles, around one month after it had received conditional approval from the government for the construction of its first manufacturing plant, the company said in a statement.
This is for the production and sales of Blueshark electric two-wheelers in Malaysia, for which EP Blueshark received conditional approval from the ministry of international trade and industry (MITI) in July.
Citing a filing with Bursa Malaysia, EPMB stated that the JPJ has approved the vehicle type approval (VTA) for the Blueshark SG3000DT, also known as the Blueshark R1 under the Road Transport Act 1987, and the certificate for the VTA was issued to EP Blueshark, a wholly owned subsidiary under EPMB.
“With the VTA approval, we are one step closer to capturing the projected demand for two-wheeled EVs in Malaysia. Simultaneously, our partners in other ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam have also applied for the equivalent VTA for the Blueshark R1 in their respective countries, and this will complement EPMB’s manufacturing activities,” said EPMB executive chairman Hamidon Abdullah.
The conditional approval received by EPMB in July is for the assembly, manufacture and distribution of Blueshark-branded electric scooters in Malaysia, and the company will eventually export the assembled products to other Southeast Asian markets where there is strong, growing demand for two-wheelers, the company said.
The Blueshark R1 is powered by new-generation portable and swappable lithium-ion batteries, and these can be exchanged for fully charged units at battery swap stations when depleted; the batteries can also be charged at home via charging docks. The Blueshark R1 packs two 1,440 Wh batteries offering up to 160 km of range at 25 km/h.
Weighing 92 kg without batteries, the Blueshark R1 has a payload rating of 200 kg and a seat height of 760 mm, and features linked front and rear disc brakes.
Touted as the first electric two-wheeler with an operating system, the Blueshark R1 features a starter system with a fingerprint sensor and a keyless unlocking system for its underseat compartment, and a total of 74 sensors feature on the electric scooter. Front and rear cameras record its journeys, while rear-facing ultrasonic sensors monitor the R1’s distance from other vehicles around it.
GALLERY: Blueshark R1
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Did i read it correctly speed at 25km/h only?
You want a near silent bike to come up at you @110KMPH?
look like u love a very noisy mat rempit motor come up at you @110kmph?
I suggest you re-read the article.
A sad case of England standard in Malaysia
What electric two-wheeler? Ebike say ebike lah… a vehicle that the gov banned not too long ago. Calling it a different name won’t change the fact that it’s still running on battery with 2 wheels.
I always LOL at the useless metric they quote.
160km range at 25km/h. Who on earth rides at 25km/h. At that speed, must as well ride a bicycle. So, if I ride at 50km/h range is 80kms or less?
Seems light on info for a typical press release. No specs on motor output and charging times? You know, something that is also important for an electric scooter.
That is why there is a link to previous articles. all the detail you required is there.
“160 km of range at 25 km/h”. For this speed is suitable to send kids to school only….
25 km/h, I’d ride and electric bicycle and wouldn’t bother with swapping the Lithium Ion battery. Out of juice? Just paddle. Don’t even need a license for those.
Furthermore cheaper bro
Average speed when riding in the city is that low. I urge you to reset your tripmeter when you reach the city or the start of your jam to the city and observe the saddle speed. Then think of this bike as a city commuter. Then it makes sense.
Cars being driven in this city mode have atrocious mileage, I got 317 km from my last full tank of 60 litres, but if I drive on the highway, I can easily get 700+ on the same full tank.
Electric scooters are in their element with city daily commuting. It’s these people who need it. I would consider it for the same trip and be happy I’m reducing emissions and save the car for when I need to ferry more than myself to work and on long trips and not suffer range anxiety of using an electric vehicle.