PUTRAJAYA, April 1 — Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Chang Lih Kang today said that hydrogen-powered car technology is now ready in Malaysia.
Chang, who is also the Tanjung Malim MP, said by 2030, Malaysia’s economy could potentially reap RM12 billion from green hydrogen exports.
“Today’s event is basically an effort to promote the hydrogen economy, especially in the mobility sector, and we would like to showcase to the public that the technology is ready.
“The technological resources are already mature, and the cars available. So what we need to do is of course create both supply and demand.
“On the one hand, we need to have user technology of hydrogen, especially in the mobility sector. But on the other hand, we would also like to boost the supply side production of green hydrogen, or blue, so that we have both supply and demand and a robust ecosystem,” he said during a press conference here, today.
“We hope that by showcasing this event, the public will have more awareness and also knowledge about this hydrogen technology. This is something big,” he added.
Chang said hydrogen-powered cars or fuel cell electric vehicles (EV) have a short refuelling time.
“Only three to five minutes to full. Second, the distance is longer, their range is from 700km to 1,000km for every refuelling. And hydrogen fuel cell EVs are lighter compared to other EVs,” he said.
Chang said the use of hydrogen energy is important as it will help Malaysia to transition to cleaner energy and meet its commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
He said a mobile hydrogen refuelling unit will be launched in Putrajaya by the end of this year.
However, Chang said plans to commercialise the use of hydrogen-powered cars had yet to be done.
“If we go commercial, mass production, it can compete with petrol. But bear in mind that petrol is heavily subsidised in Malaysia,” he added.
