KL International Motor Show 2010

Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2010 (KLIMS ’10) was held from Dec 3 to Dec 12. For those who had not been able to visit the fair, here are some pictures for sharing…

One of the star attractions of in KLIMS was Chevrolet Camaro. This is the car which appears in the movie Transformers as Bumblebee:

Many car makers showcased ‘green vehicles’ in the show. One was them was Insight, Honda’s entry level hybrid vehicle:

Mitsubishi, on the other hand, presented the kawaii (cute) iMiev:

Even Proton, Malaysia’s car maker, displayed a few green vehicles. Shown below are an electric vehicle and a charging station:

Perodua, another Malaysian car maker, displayed a concept car code-named Bezza. I was more interested in the beautiful model though...

Some gorgeous booth babes in the show:

One of the most intriguing thing on display was Honda’s unicycle – code-named U3-X. It could move on smooth surface without tumbling:

A hot girl demonstrating the use of U3-X. Do you think the photographers at the background were more interested in the gadget or the girl?

Many photographers who visited KLIMS were disappointed, as they were expecting to see sport cars. Instead, they were presented with green vehicles. I wonder if I were the only Malaysian excited by clean tech. It looks like the Earth Hour observed in this country every year has failed to instill environmentalism among Malaysians.

Electric Vehicle

Recently I published a post on hybrid vehicles. In this post I will blog about another (supposedly) green technology – electric vehicle, or EV.

Based on what I know, it is easier to make an EV than a hybrid vehicle such as Toyota Prius. China’s BYD and Chery have both marketed EV. Even Malaysia’s underperforming Proton has teamed up with Detroit Electric to make EV. We should see EV hitting Malaysian roads in the near future.

While the technology behind the EV isn’t exactly state-of-the-art, there are a few concerns:

• How far can the EV go in one charge?
• How long does it take to charge an EV?
• Will we be able to charge our EV in hotels and shopping areas?

Take Mitsubishi’s iMiEV as example. With air-conditioner off, this mini electric car can go for 160km in a single charge – not enough to reach my hometown from Kuala Lumpur. Charging takes 14 hours at 110V or 7 hours at 220V. Mitsubishi does have ‘quick charge station’ which can charge the batteries to 80% in 30 minutes. However, I am not sure what it takes to install such quick chargers.

Whether an EV is good for the environment depends on where the electricity comes from. If the electricity is generated from coal, good luck.

So, will you buy a Proton EV when it is available?

Mitsubishi iMiEV

Note:

There is another category of EV which are also equipped with gasoline engines. These are called plug-in hybrid vehicles. China’s BYD has already rolled out plug-in hybrids, while GM and Toyota are planning theirs.

Toyota Prius is coming to Malaysia

Toyota has decided to bring Prius, the world’s best selling gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle, into the Malaysian market. There is, however, much confusion among Malaysians over this novelty. Prius is actually the second hybrid vehicle sold here, after the Honda Civic Hybrid. There are, unfortunately, very few Civic Hybrids on Malaysian roads at the time of this writing.

On a Malaysia-based Internet forum, one member joked about the possible blunder of owning a Prius:

Oops, I can’t come to the party. I’ve forgotten to charge my car!

It should be noted that Prius is a hybrid vehicle, not an electric car. It still has a gasoline engine. It does, however, consume much less gasoline – perhaps by a third – as compared to a conventional vehicle with similar power. Since Prius is very fuel-efficient, it also emits less carbon dioxide, a major culprit of global warming.

You don’t charge Prius at home. The battery of the car is charged during everyday driving. The car also recovers the excess energy that would otherwise be lost during braking, and converts it into electricity. For this reason, hybrid vehicles are best for city driving, where traffic is stop and go.

Hybrid vehicles may be new to Malaysians, but they have been in Japan and the United States for quite a while. In fact, Prius has been the best-selling vehicle in Japan for three months straight.

How do hybrid vehicles compare to pure electric cars? We may be tempted to think that pure electric cars are better to the environment, as they do not rely on gasoline at all. However, bear in mind that the electricity in your home comes from power plants, which may not be so green after all. China is in a big push for pure electric cars, even though majority of the power plants in that country run on coal.

I can’t afford a Prius. But if you are rich, this green vehicle will give you a bragging right!

Hybrid Vehicles for Malaysia?

The International Trade and Industry Ministry [of Malaysia] is said to be considering revising the National Automotive Policy to encourage local automotive players to develop hybrid vehicles.

The Star, July 7, 2008

That is “good news”. Hopefully, with the incentives from the government, our “national car makers” will roll out the first batch of their hybrid vehicles by the year 2020.

But, at the mean time, Mr. Prime Minister, can you please provide tax break for the buyers of imported Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid and Toyota Prius?

~~~~~~~~~~

Honda Malaysia has sold a grand total of 14 units of Civic Hybrid since its launch in August last year...

Hybrid Vehicles in Malaysia?

Toyota Prius Hybrid Vehicle

In response to the gasoline price hike on June 5, a reader wrote to The Star, accusing Malaysian government for not introducing gas-electric hybrid vehicles to the country.

Hybrid vehicles, as we know, are generally very fuel efficient. Unfortunately, they are also pricier than vehicles that run on conventional engines. In the U.S., it is said that hybrid vehicles have a “$3,000 price premium” over comparable conventional vehicles. When the gasoline price in Malaysia was at RM1.92/liter, nobody, save for some die-hard environmentalists and celebrities, would ever consider owning them.

Even at RM2.70/liter, I seriously doubt they are economical for the majority of us. In order to save enough on fuel to offset the “price premium”, you probably need to drive over 2,000 km every month, mostly in city. Hybrid vehicles are most suitable for driving in the city, where traffic is stop-and-go.

In some countries, governments boost their image by buying green vehicles for official use. Unfortunately, Malaysia has a few “national car makers” which haven’t ventured into the hybrid technology yet. Don’t bet that our government will do the same thing.

So, will hybrid vehicles ever become main stream in this country? We are not completely hopeless. If the gasoline price breaches the RM3.00 per liter level, the car dealers may have incentive to import hybrid vehicles. Also, as the technology matures, and as the car makers achieve “economies of scale”, the price of hybrid vehicle should come down. Maybe one of you will be driving a Toyota Prius within the next 5 years.