Sarawak’s first ART hydrogen vehicle undergoes pre-commissioning, physical inspection in China

Lee (seated centre) and others in a group photo with ART hydrogen vehicle as the backdrop at CRRC manufacturing facility in Yibin, in China’s Sichuan Province on Sept 9, 2024.

By DayakDaily Team

CHINA, Sept 10: The Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) Project marked another major milestone with the pre-commissioning and physical inspection of the first unit of the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) hydrogen vehicles in China.

According to a press release issued by Ministry of Transport Sarawak (MOTS), this unit, or ‘golden train’, will be the first of two ART hydrogen vehicles to be delivered to Kuching by the end of the year.

To mark the event, MOTS Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin was on hand to officiate at a pre-commissioning ceremony and also took part in the ART vehicle’s physical inspection and test ride at the CRRC manufacturing facility in Yibin, in China’s Sichuan Province, yesterday (9 Sept).

Of the 38 total units of ART hydrogen vehicles set to arrive in stages in Kuching starting this year, five will be delivered fully assembled while the remaining ones are set to arrive as semi-assembled units over the next couple of years.

According to Lee, he was pleased with the progress of the manufacturing process and pointed out that with each milestone achieved in the KUTS Project, Sarawak has received more attention than before.

“Our ART project has attracted the attention not only of some of the other states in Malaysia, but also the interest of our regional neighbours, especially when we were able to showcase the ART hydrogen vehicle during last year’s proof of concept (POC) exercise and engineering run.

“I believe the whole world is paying attention to what we are doing in transforming the public transport system, especially our efforts in using clean energy, in this case green hydrogen,” he said during a meeting with the top management team of CRRC in conjunction with the pre-commissioning event at the CRRC manufacturing facility.

Lee also highlighted that sustainability objectives were high on the list of priorities for the KUTS Project and as such efforts were also being made to explore all the advances in hydrogen technology, especially towards reducing the cost of production of green hydrogen for our public transport needs.

Compared to the prototype ART vehicle used for the POC exercise, the new ART vehicles have incorporated several upgrades; capable of climbing slopes of up to 10 per cent and can be used in various road environments, with a maximum speed of up to 80 kilometres per hour (km/h).

The ART hydrogen vehicles now adopt a lighter weight design, significantly reducing the weight by 2.5 tons, making them more energy-efficient.

Further adding to the user-friendliness of the ART hydrogen vehicles, they will also include dedicated areas for luggage, wheelchairs, and foldable bicycles.

Among those present at the ceremony were Deputy Minister of Transport Sarawak Datuk Jerip Susil, MOTS Permanent Secretary Datu Wong Hee Sieng, Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board Sarawak Director Cornelia Wong Chui, Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman Tan Kai, Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) Senior Planning Manager Fatehi Marzuki, Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer Mazli Mustaffa, and EMGJV Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer Chan Chee Kian.

Also present were Yibin Municipal Government Standing Committee Member Tao Xuezhou, CRRC Zhuzhou Institute Inc. Deputy General Manager Chen Jian, and Hunan CRRC Intelligent Transport Technology Co. Ltd. General Manager Peng Zhonghong. — DayakDaily