MAN Truck & Bus to Start Offering Euro V Bus for Malaysian By 2023 ... and Maybe Their EV E-Chassis Bus Too

 

MAN 3 Axle RR5 Bus Chassis

MAN Truck & Bus (M) Sdn Bhd (MAN Malaysia),  to be the first vehicle manufacturer in  Malaysia to offer Euro V engines as standard across its entire Truck range, will now aim to become the first company to offer Euro V for its bus range too.  This piece of environmentally friendly news was first announced at MAN BAGUS, an annual gathering for key players from the bus  industry at its Serendah CKD assembly plant. There, MAN Malaysia Managing Director  Andrew O’Brooks announced that the company plans to introduce a low-emission  Euro V engine as an option in 2023 to help bus operators reduce their carbon  footprint. 

MAN 2 Axle RR3 Bus Chassis

Mr. O’Brooks expressed confidence that bus operators in Malaysia would have the  foresight to join the sustainability journey like many of their counterparts in the  transport and logistics sector that did not hesitate to add the New MAN Truck  Generation with Euro V engines as standard to their fleet. 

“I believe that many will see the benefits of investing in a more sustainable, fuel  efficient and low-emission vehicle for their fleets. With road transportation being  a major contributor of emissions, all of us must do our part in helping reduce the  industry’s carbon footprint if Malaysia if it is to achieve carbon neutral status by  2050,” said O'Brooks

As for the e-chassis electric bus...

“By next year, we also hope to start taking orders for the MAN e-chassis but that  is dependent on the development of the EV-charging infrastructure that we hope  would be the primary focus of the Malaysian authorities. These are groundbreaking moves by MAN Malaysia as we continue to offer environmentallyfriendly options to the transport industry as we lead the drive towards carbon  neutral status for Malaysia by 2050. The introduction of Euro V engines and echassis will certainly differentiate MAN Bus offerings, which are already  renowned for their quality, reliability, versatility and flexibility,” he said. 

MAN Malaysia took the opportunity to reconnect with bus operators  and share updates on global trends and MAN’s success in developing electromobility solutions for the public transport sector such as the MAN Lion City E. This electric bus is in actual inner-city service in several European cities, the MAN Lion City  E proved that it could handle long distances too. 

MAN Msia MD Andrew O'Brooks (3rd from right) with customers @ MAN BAGUS_3

In the highly successful Electrifying Europe Tour from April 29 to May 8, 2022,  MAN’s electric bus covered some 2,500 kilometres from Munich in Germany to Limerick in Ireland, proving its outstanding capabilities and reliability. However, formidable challenges need to be overcome before the new e-chassis  could become a viable offering in the Malaysian market. 

Firstly, as a petroleum producing country with relatively low prices at the pumps,  there are few incentives to go electric on a major scale. 

Secondly, despite the Malaysian Government’s commitment to achieve carbon neutral status by 2050 at the earliest, the actual steps and implementation process remain unclear with few incentives for consumers to invest in electric PSVs (public service vehicles). 

Thirdly, the investment and development of charging stations and relevant infrastructure are perhaps the biggest obstacles to bringing the e-chassis or even CBU e-buses into Malaysia. 

All of these were mentioned at MAN Bagus. I have to also add that in the case of having Euro V compliant vehicles it would also mean that Malaysia would not be stuck using archaic engines. Manufacturers will find it hard just producing older engines in volumes that would be profitable if the majority of their markets are using newer less polluting systems. Producing just for one country running Euro II would not make sense and it is wise that countries like Malaysia adopt current fuel standards to keep up with technology and also do a small bit in saving some whales, trees here and there.

On the point of Electric Buses, it would make sense that the local government adopts such vehicles to do their part in bringing down pollution levels in cities or towns caused by transport (public or private). The running costs do actually not make economic sense as Malaysia is a producer of oil and gas as electricity tariffs are usually on a rising scale where the more you use the more you pay for it. So while it may be emissions free, the financial costs of operating such vehicles are usually more than operating a bus with an internal combustion engine. 

There are pros and cons to running full EV vehicles. Especially in poorer, less developed countries. But that is a discussion for another day.

For more information on the MAN Bus chassis range, please visit www.man.com.my.  Don't ask us, we just report the news!