KUALA LUMPUR - The Transport Ministry hopes more private companies will come forward to introduce electric ferries to support the efforts of environmentally friendly transport products.
Minister Anthony Loke said his ministry is proud to say that there is an investment in Malaysian company Yinson Holdings Bhd which is involved in the construction of marine 'green mobility'.
"When I looked at its presentation, it was building an electric passenger ferry, thus this is something new.
"We hope more private companies will introduce electric ferries because when we mention electric vehicles, it should not be only on cars and motorcycles.
"For me, this is a good effort because if private companies can invest in and introduce products that are more environmentally friendly to the transport sector, this is certainly something that is welcomed by the government, especially the Transport Ministry,” he told reporters after attending the signing ceremony of the collaboration and financing agreement between Yinson Holdings Bhd, RRJ Capital and Farosson here today.
He said, however, it certainly requires a 'buy-in' from the operator and Yinson has already introduced a number of ownership concepts including electric motorcycles that offer hire-purchase schemes.
"Many delivery companies need motorcycles, but if they all require big investments, maybe these private companies will not be interested,” he said.
He added that the hire-purchase scheme is able to attract the attention of more companies, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to explore vehicle ownership in addition to adapting to electric vehicles (EVs).
"I noticed that today's investment is very good because it can boost Malaysia on the EV ownership map because our take-up rate in EVs is still low.
"If these delivery companies can start using electric motorbikes, I think this is a trend that can be expanded,” he said, adding that Yinson is also involved in offering electric ferries.
Today, Yinson has entered into a collaboration agreement with global investment firm RRJ to jointly develop energy infrastructure and technology projects globally, including through the provision of US$300 million in financing.
The collaboration agreement was also signed by Farosson, the advisory, investment and asset management arm of the group. The signing of the agreement was witnessed by Loke.
During the event, the guests also participated in an experiential showcase by Yinson GreenTech (YGT), featuring solutions for a clean, integrated and technology-enhanced ecosystem across the marine, mobility and infrastructure segments.
The showcase included YGT’s electric bikes with swappable batteries, rydeEV, electric vehicle leasing solution, drivEV and EV charging infrastructure, chargEV. - BERNAMA