Rethink hydrogen bus use for Kuching ART – Chong

Rethink hydrogen bus use for Kuching ART – Chong

The Sarawak government should reconsider the proposed use of hydrogen fuel cell buses as first- and last-mile feeders for the Kuching autonomous rapid transit (ART) trackless tram public transport system, member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (SLA) for Padungan Chong Chieng Jen has said, according to a report by The Star.

He said 10 city authorities around the world, including Perth, Vancouver, Sao Paulo, Hamburg, Wiesbaden, Pau and Montpellier, have trialled hydrogen buses and decided to go for battery-electric buses instead.

Rethink hydrogen bus use for Kuching ART – Chong

“The main reason is that the operation of hydrogen buses is many times more expensive than electric buses,” Chong said while debating the 2025 state budget in the SLA yesterday. As such, he urged the state government to consider replacing the proposed hydrogen buses with electric buses, adding that the cost-benefit factor should be considered.

The ART will form the backbone of the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS), and the trackless tram system will cover routes totalling 70 km over three rail lines and 31 stations in its first phase. Revenue services are expected to begin in stages from the fourth quarter of 2025, starting with the Blue Line (Line 1) from Rembus in Kota Samarahan to Hikmah Exchange in the centre of Kuching.

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Jonathan James Tan

While most dream of the future, Jonathan Tan dreams of the past, although he's never been there. Fantasises much too often about cruising down Treacher Road (Jalan Sultan Ismail) in a Triumph Stag that actually works, and hopes this stint here will snap him back to present reality.

 

Comments

  • Startalk podcast subscribers on Nov 14, 2024 at 1:17 pm

    Truly expensive fuel, pure hydrogen is good a good fuel at vacuum absolute zero kelvin outerspace. Not suitable inside atmospheric ambient temperature planet.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 3
    • Serpentza & Gang on Nov 14, 2024 at 5:24 pm

      Bingo! Those cryogenic liquified hydrogen must be stored inside bullet proof canisters, not the usual commercial LPG pipelines distribution network. Furthermore it takes longer time to pump into car compares to NGV.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Kea Was on Nov 14, 2024 at 3:01 pm

    Well China would very much wants to sell their dated hydro bus while Korean also told us a small country that no SEA uses Hydrogen powered can make it big so believe lar.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • they did chose hydrogen powered toyota mirai as their official car, guess the state leader is an old fashioned toyota fanboy

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • stick on Nov 15, 2024 at 10:25 am

    remove the “state” after Sarawak

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • anwar menang, rakyat dikencingkan on Nov 17, 2024 at 10:14 am

    Chong Chieng Jen must have been given plenty of shares in EV bus contracts and from battery supplier company

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
 

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