KUALA LUMPUR – The government is stopping the use of natural gas-powered vehicles (NGV) from July 1 next year, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Registrations for this type of vehicle will be discontinued from that date, while the sale of NGV fuel is already being reduced – in stages – since October 1, Bernama reported Loke as saying today.
“Retail of NGV (fuel) nationwide was stopped in phases from October 1, 2024, and will be completely removed from the Malaysian markets in the first quarter of 2025,” Loke said.
He said the cabinet decided this last month in the interest of safety, given the lifespan of NGV tanks in these vehicles.
“The peak period for NGV vehicle modification and installation of kits was from 1995 to 2014, indicating that the NGV tanks in these vehicles have reached the end of their lifespan and need replacement.
“These NGV tanks have a safe usage lifespan of approximately 15 years. If not replaced, they are unsafe to use and could fail at any time, posing risks of injury, death, and severe property damage,” Loke said at a press conference on the National NGV Usage Policy here, today.
Some users have even modified their vehicles by installing cooking gas (LPG) cylinders, which is extremely dangerous and has led to previous incidents of accidents and explosions, he added.
Replacing NGV components and spare parts with genuine parts is also costly, potentially exceeding RM7,000 per vehicle, the minister added, leading vehicle owners to use second-hand tanks or make unapproved modifications, such as using LPG tanks.
The majority of NGV vehicles in Malaysia are in the category of dual-fuel vehicles, meaning they can also be powered by petrol with modifications to switch to NGV fuel, Loke said.
Most of the 44,383 active NGV-registered vehicles are private registered vehicles (32,137), while 9,509 are taxis and rental cars. Another 2,150 are buses and trucks, and 587 are machinery vehicles.
To help NGV owners make the transition to petrol-powered vehicles, Loke said the government will introduce a NGV Vehicle Transition Assistance Programme.
This will involve a RM3,000 voucher for eligible NGV owners.
The Star meanwhile, reports that applications for the voucher will be in stages.
For NGV taxis and fully-NGV fuelled vehicles, applications will close on December 31.
For owners of dual-fuel vehicles (petrol and NGV), applications will close on April 30 next year. This is part of the transition before all NGV vehicles are banned from July 1, 2025. – November 4, 2024