Malaysia Develops It's Own Electric Car - truth or an elaborate hoax?
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Reuters reports about rumors of a new National Car Project by the new PM. Previously touted by the last PM, who was a big proponent of a national car. However that car was basically put together using parts and engines from other companies. The first version, the Proton was reasonably successful, as it was cheap and cheerful, with an engine bought from Mitsubishi, but the quality of assembly and the cost of manufacturing it meant that it was no viable to sustain. Finally Proton was sold to Lotus and has been sold again to Geely from China.
However despite the rather ignominious ending to the last project, it seems that the Prime Ministers of Malaysia just cannot get over the idea of building a national car. We have heard news of yet another car project being bandied in the corridors of power at Putrajaya and the noise level on this has been too much to be hushed.
Given the uncertain economic times, and the massive drops in crude oil prices, the new Prime Minister of Malaysia has decide that the future lies not in the original concept of the national car project. Instead the new project is electric in nature, with a significant local element of participation and many interesting features.
Malaysia has been assembling many foreign cars in Pekan, Pahang such as Mercedes, Subaru and will utilise the same assembly lines to put together the know-how for this project. Insiders say that The Japanese are also keen to get onto this as they have erstwhile been relying on Chinese battery technology, and the Chinese have become more reluctant to share the technology, and also the source of the rare earth elements that go into the batteries. China holds more than 90% of the world's supply of rare earth elements and is responsible for producing most of the world's batteries that go into electric cars. Many Western countries have been eager to break into this market, but only Australia, South America and right here in Pahang, are there alternate sources of the elements.
So it seems that negotiations have been going on for a while to adopt Japanese know how in making a car to make the next National Car, which apparently has been code-named Kilat, which is the Malay word for lightning. It is assumed that lightning will strike twice and the PM must be hoping that it will bring back fortune to the economy, especially in the current economic downturn.
In addition, there will be a large element of recycled materials incorporated into the car. Firstly recycled plastics will be used to make most of the plastics used in the car, and the bonnet and boot will be made from such materials. This is to provide weight savings and the Japanese will be sharing their technology of folding the plastics to make it stronger and will also use cellulose which when compared weight for weight, offers more tensile strength than steel. This aspect has been code-named Origami by the team.
Eschewing the previous concept of merely throwing last series models from external car companies, the majority of the technology will come from local inventors. Even the drive shaft technology is weight saving whilst allowed conversion of electrical power into turning by using a concept derived from an old national pastime. Code-named Gopeng, after the sport of top spinning, this new drive shaft and counter balance system reproduces the smoothness of an inline six cylinder engine, whilst allowing 80% of the power to be converted into real horsepower in laboratory tests. Dyno tests indicate that the Gopeng shaft can withstand up to 500nm of torque despite being made from a combination of local hardwood and steel. The government plans to utilise the remaining forests in the central Taman Negara region to harvest the Chengai wood required to make at least 100 000 drive shafts in initial production runs.
Whilst road tests results have been furtive and the new PM has been reticent to reply to email enquiries on this. The car has been sported in heavy camouflage (with a kebaya pattern no less) doing high speed runs along the Genting Kuantan Highway at night. Pictures have been scanty and real photos have been hard to come by as the tests are done in remote stretches of the highway, and there is speculation that they are transported to these sections on trailers. Early reports indicate that the car is a mish mash of designs, with elements of the Proton Saga and the Kanchil. Given the fleeting glances, and the white color, farmers in the region have taken to calling it the "Putih Pontianak" or white female ghost, as the car generates very little engine noise and they mostly see flashes of a white car going by at high speeds.
However not all Malaysians are enthusiastic. In particular a faction of the government, led by MPs with a vested interest in Petronas have been very vocal in opposing this venture. They say that there is no room for yet another Malaysian car, and it is a waste of taxpayer's money to invest in this. Some have also pointed to a link to 1MDB money being used to develop the test cars. Others say it will spell the death knell for the local oil producing industry and are reluctant to back this venture.
The timing of the release of the news has also set tongues wagging, with some speculating that it is meant to detract from the current political troubles and economic woes, while others point to it as a saviour for the flagging automobile industry. Others have simply called it an elaborate hoax meant to take attention from the crisis that is afflicting the country and the world at large.
Will this be the next big thing in the automotive world? That remains to be seen.
:)
Reuters reports about rumors of a new National Car Project by the new PM. Previously touted by the last PM, who was a big proponent of a national car. However that car was basically put together using parts and engines from other companies. The first version, the Proton was reasonably successful, as it was cheap and cheerful, with an engine bought from Mitsubishi, but the quality of assembly and the cost of manufacturing it meant that it was no viable to sustain. Finally Proton was sold to Lotus and has been sold again to Geely from China.
However despite the rather ignominious ending to the last project, it seems that the Prime Ministers of Malaysia just cannot get over the idea of building a national car. We have heard news of yet another car project being bandied in the corridors of power at Putrajaya and the noise level on this has been too much to be hushed.
Given the uncertain economic times, and the massive drops in crude oil prices, the new Prime Minister of Malaysia has decide that the future lies not in the original concept of the national car project. Instead the new project is electric in nature, with a significant local element of participation and many interesting features.
Malaysia has been assembling many foreign cars in Pekan, Pahang such as Mercedes, Subaru and will utilise the same assembly lines to put together the know-how for this project. Insiders say that The Japanese are also keen to get onto this as they have erstwhile been relying on Chinese battery technology, and the Chinese have become more reluctant to share the technology, and also the source of the rare earth elements that go into the batteries. China holds more than 90% of the world's supply of rare earth elements and is responsible for producing most of the world's batteries that go into electric cars. Many Western countries have been eager to break into this market, but only Australia, South America and right here in Pahang, are there alternate sources of the elements.
So it seems that negotiations have been going on for a while to adopt Japanese know how in making a car to make the next National Car, which apparently has been code-named Kilat, which is the Malay word for lightning. It is assumed that lightning will strike twice and the PM must be hoping that it will bring back fortune to the economy, especially in the current economic downturn.
In addition, there will be a large element of recycled materials incorporated into the car. Firstly recycled plastics will be used to make most of the plastics used in the car, and the bonnet and boot will be made from such materials. This is to provide weight savings and the Japanese will be sharing their technology of folding the plastics to make it stronger and will also use cellulose which when compared weight for weight, offers more tensile strength than steel. This aspect has been code-named Origami by the team.
Eschewing the previous concept of merely throwing last series models from external car companies, the majority of the technology will come from local inventors. Even the drive shaft technology is weight saving whilst allowed conversion of electrical power into turning by using a concept derived from an old national pastime. Code-named Gopeng, after the sport of top spinning, this new drive shaft and counter balance system reproduces the smoothness of an inline six cylinder engine, whilst allowing 80% of the power to be converted into real horsepower in laboratory tests. Dyno tests indicate that the Gopeng shaft can withstand up to 500nm of torque despite being made from a combination of local hardwood and steel. The government plans to utilise the remaining forests in the central Taman Negara region to harvest the Chengai wood required to make at least 100 000 drive shafts in initial production runs.
Whilst road tests results have been furtive and the new PM has been reticent to reply to email enquiries on this. The car has been sported in heavy camouflage (with a kebaya pattern no less) doing high speed runs along the Genting Kuantan Highway at night. Pictures have been scanty and real photos have been hard to come by as the tests are done in remote stretches of the highway, and there is speculation that they are transported to these sections on trailers. Early reports indicate that the car is a mish mash of designs, with elements of the Proton Saga and the Kanchil. Given the fleeting glances, and the white color, farmers in the region have taken to calling it the "Putih Pontianak" or white female ghost, as the car generates very little engine noise and they mostly see flashes of a white car going by at high speeds.
However not all Malaysians are enthusiastic. In particular a faction of the government, led by MPs with a vested interest in Petronas have been very vocal in opposing this venture. They say that there is no room for yet another Malaysian car, and it is a waste of taxpayer's money to invest in this. Some have also pointed to a link to 1MDB money being used to develop the test cars. Others say it will spell the death knell for the local oil producing industry and are reluctant to back this venture.
The timing of the release of the news has also set tongues wagging, with some speculating that it is meant to detract from the current political troubles and economic woes, while others point to it as a saviour for the flagging automobile industry. Others have simply called it an elaborate hoax meant to take attention from the crisis that is afflicting the country and the world at large.
Will this be the next big thing in the automotive world? That remains to be seen.
:)
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