Deftech manufactures Malaysia’s first super quick charge electric bus

KUALA LUMPUR: DRB-Hicom Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd (Deftech) is entrusted with the manufacturing of and maintaining Malaysia’s first super quick charge (SQC) electric vehicle (EV), known as Putra NEDO EV bus.

The company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of DRB-Hicom Bhd, has been entrusted to manufacture 11 single decker EV buses currently.

The SQC project is part of a technology transfer arrangement via a government-to-government agreement between Malaysia and Japan.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO) of Japan for this project.

“A total of eight Putra NEDO EV buses have been supplied to PPj, which are already in operation, whereas the balance of three units are scheduled to be delivered in 2018,” DRB-Hicom and Deftech said in a joint statement yesterday.

The Putra NEDO EV bus is operated by Pengangkutan Awam Putrajaya Travel and Tours Sdn Bhd (Nadiputra), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PPj, as part of their fleet that services the Putrajaya area.

NEDO is undertaken by a Japanese consortium that consists of Toshiba Infrastructure Systems and Solutions Corp, PUES Corp, Hasetec Corp and Oriental Consultants Global Company Ltd.

Deftech is expected to become the regional hub for the production of the SQC EV buses in all future expansion. — Bernama