prototype lithium ion batteries by first quarter 2015
Petaling jaya: by the first quarter of next year, Malaysia will produce lithium-ion battery prototypes for electric buses, cars and energy storage.
The project is the Automobile Research Institute of Malaysia (MAI)
The goal of transportation logistics company ARCA Corp. Sdn Bhd and Australia AutoCRC Co. , Ltd. and Swinburne Polytechnic University is to develop the most dynamic
MAI chief executive Madani Sahari says the market is very battery intensive.
\"There are only a handful of manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries worldwide.
We are currently working on producing prototypes for the local market and possibly exporting them.
\"However, we want to focus on producing batteries with high energy density,\" he told StarBiz . \".
Madani said the prototype battery will be used first for the prototype of the electric bus that ARCA is developing.
\"It is expected that the bus will start operating in 2015.
It is reported that the buses will begin operations in putraja and Langkawi in the first place.
The total investment of ARCA is said to have exceeded RM200mil in four years, and if the company is eligible for financial assistance, part of the investment may be provided by the government.
The next step, Madani said, is to \"increase\" the production of lithium-ion batteries.
\"Once we have successfully tested the prototype batteries, we want to produce them locally on a larger scale.
\"The cost will be higher --
More efficient than purchasing from other countries.
Madani also confirmed previous reports that a plant is planned to be built to produce lithium-ion batteries.
\"We haven\'t finalized whether to build a brand new factory or expand the existing one,\" he said . \".
The factory is part of the national automobile policy (
Announced on January)
Lower car prices by 2018, helping Malaysia become a regional energy market.
Efficient Vehicle Hub.