BYD e6 EV taxi in Malaysia – all-EV TeksiKu service to begin operating in the Klang Valley this November

At the ongoing 2022 International Greentech and Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM), Mysuri Biz Technologies showed off another electric vehicle (EV) set to join its TeksiKu EV taxi programme.

As a brief recap, in August this year, Mysuri announced its collaboration with Tenaga Nasional (TNB) to begin operating EV taxis in Malaysia in November. The EV taxi service will be provided through the Alladin MY app, which also offers other services like food delivery and logistics. The plan will see the deployment of 1,000 EVs as taxis, including the MG5 and now this, the BYD e6.

The BYD e6 is a five-seat MPV that will be sold in Malaysia via Sime Darby Motors (SDM) following the signing of a distributorship agreement with the Chinese carmaker in end-September. Judging by the Sime Darby logos on the show car, it looks like SDM will be supplying units of the e6 to the TeksiKu programme, although the MPV will only account for a small portion of the TeksiKu EV fleet. The company previously said 700 units of the MG5 will be brought in to make up the bulk of the fleet.

In terms of specifications, the e6 features BYD’s Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with an energy capacity of 71.7 kWh, which powers front-mounted electric motor rated at 95 PS (94 hp or 70 kW) and 180 Nm of torque – the top speed is 130 km/h.

On a full charge, the e6 can provide an estimated 450 km of driving range following the WLTP cycle. For charging, it supports a maximum AC input (Type 2 connection) of 40 kW (1.8 hours for a full charge) as well as DC fast charging (CCS2 connection) at 60 kW (1.5 hours for a full charge).

As part of the partnership involving both companies, TNB will provide charging infrastructure support in the public domain, but Mysuri will also implement a network of chargers for taxi drivers to recharge their vehicles, including at key locations such as airports.

Mysuri Biz Technologies CEO Mohd Noor Ghazali said previously that around 80% of these charging stations will be 22 kW AC units, while the rest will be 60 kW DC fast chargers. In addition to the Klang Valley, charging points operated by Mysuri will also be installed in cities like Johor Bahru, Johor and Penang, and will be accessible to users through the MyCaj app.

For taxi drivers looking to make the switch, the EVs will be offered through a lease-to-own scheme run by the Koperasi Jurupandu TeksiKu cooperative. Individuals interested in the programme will have to pay RM20 to become a member of the coop and subscribe to a minimum share of RM250 and above.

It is estimated that an EV taxi will be cheaper to run monthly, as charging an EV is expected to cost RM10 a day (RM300 a month), which is far less than refuelling (RM50 a day, or RM1,500 a month) and servicing a petrol-powered taxi. This also helps offset the higher rental rate for an EV taxi at RM80 a day (RM2,400 a month) compared to a regular taxi (RM37 a day, or RM1,110 a month). Of course, these figures were quoted for the MG5 and may differ for the e6.

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