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Gentari Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of PETRONAS which offers clean energy solutions, has set up Southeast Asia’s first 350kW charging station for electric vehicles (EVs). The high-speed charger is one of the stations at the EV Charging Hub located at X Park Sunway Serene in the Sungai Way Free Trade Industrial Zone, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

The facility has been set up in partnership with EV Connection Sdn Bhd (EVC) and besides the 350 kW super charger – the fastest public charger in Southeast Asia – there are also two DC fast chargers (180 kW), and five AC chargers (22 kW and 7 kW).

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Perhaps it’s a coincidence but with the new government now confirmed, the first update of fuel prices has RON97 petrol becoming 10 sen cheaper per litre. This would still be based on the Automatic Pricing Mechanism (APM) which determines the retail price for unsubsidized fuel in Malaysia. RON95 petrol and biodiesel are currently subsidized to maintain their prices but the government may soon review the subsidies to have a more targeted approach that benefits those who really need assistance.

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Ever since the Industrial Revolution began in the 19th century, emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2)have kept increasing in the environment from industrial activities and products. The gas, often referred to as a ‘greenhouse gas’, has been identified as the main contributor to global warming. Although nature has had processes to remove CO2, the increase of the gas has exceeded the capability of natural systems to remove it, leading to accumulation that has reached levels where the climate is being changed.

The warning signs are clear and depending on who you listen to, we could be very close to the tipping point when the change will not be reversible. But regardless of the timeline, it is clear that global warming is occurring and action needs to be taken. Scientists believe that preventing an increase of more than 1.5 degrees C. is crucial for the planet’s future and some 200 countries have given commitments to do their part to achieve this goal.

Industries, most of which generate CO2 through their activities and products, have also made a similar commitment to help prevent climate change. Many have already stated goals to stop generating greenhouse gases – becoming carbon-neutral – in their activities and products during the next couple of decades.

Among these companies is Shell, the global energy company, which has long had activities upstream and downstream as well as products – fuels and lubricants, in particular – which have generated CO2. The company has declared that it will become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050.

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Since the 1980s, electronic systems have been slowly taking control of the car and with electric vehicles (EVs), there is the feeling that cars have become ‘computers on wheels’. And as we move slowly towards autonomous motoring when a car can operate itself without human control, the computer will have taken over everything (shades of ‘Skynet’!).

Like the computer or smartphone you use daily, the electronic systems in cars operate with software that has millions of lines of code. As microprocessors have quickly improved in capacity and speed, the software has become more sophisticated and able to handle many different processes simultaneously – at speeds fast enough to activate the brakes if a collision is imminent.

In recent years, some companies have also started to incorporate into the software ‘paywalls’ that restrict certain features until a code is provided by the car owner. The approach is the same as what the computer software industry has been doing for decades. For example, if you purchase or renew Kaspersky’s anti-virus software, you will need to pay them and then get a code which will allow activation or renewal of the software. If you don’t, the software will either deactivate or have reduced functionality and make your device more vulnerable to virus attacks.

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Lancia is one of those old Italian car companies that had its glory days many decades ago and then faded into obscurity, though not vanishing totally. After being independent in its first 56 years, it became part of the Fiat group in 1969. As the Fiat group is now part of Stellantis, Lancia has become a division which has continued to sell its cars but only in the Italian market.

However, Stellantis sees Lancia as a brand that can be revived and brought to greater heights. It is therefore embarking on a new era with a new design vision. This design vision – Lancia Pu+Ra Design – is previewed in the Pu+Ra Zero, a 3-dimensional ‘manifesto’ that will guide the designers of the 3 new Lancia models to be launched between 2024 and 2028.

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Travelers using the North-South Expressway tomorrow (Wednesday, November 30) are advised that there will be temporary closure along the Ipoh Utara – Ipoh Selatan stretch between the two toll plazas. The closure will affect those who are travelling south on the highway from Kuala Kangsar, Penang and the north.

The closure, which is to facilitate an emergency response exercise, will take place from 10 am to 2:30 pm. During that period, highway users from the north/Kuala Kangsar will be diverted to the Ipoh Utara toll plaza to use the FT240 Jelapang – Ampang slip-road. Those who wish to continue south on their journey are advised to rejoin the North-South Expressway via the Ipoh Selatan toll plaza.

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It was a fight to the finish in the Uruguay Natural Energy X Prix, final round of the Extreme E series for purpose-built electric rallycars. With championship contenders ACCIONA | SAINZ XE Team and No.99 GMC HUMMER EV Chip Ganassi Racing already ruled out of the Final, only Rosberg X Racing and X44 Vida Carbon racing remained in contention to win this year’s Extreme E title.

And it was X44 Vida Carbon Racing which took championship glory although it finished third, with ABT CUPRA XE securing a maiden X Prix victory. X44, Lewis Hamilton’s outfit, had entered a Final that was missing three of the top four teams in the championship standings, including leaders RXR.

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After not being run for 3 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR) 2022 returned this month. The tough event held in the northeastern part of Thailand and in Cambodia saw Team Mitsubishi Ralliart taking overall first place after 6 days of competition over 1,200 kms.

The event saw the participation of a total of 56 machines – 21 in the motorcycle category, 2 in the sidecar category, 32 in the car category, and 1 in the truck. Legs 1 to 3 were run over courses in the area around Buriram, while Leg 4 brought the participant to the border between Thailand and Cambodian. For Leg 5, the participants crossed into Cambodia to race to finish line near the World Heritage site of Angkor Wat.

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With the previous government having allowed full tax exemption on battery electric vehicles (BEVs) for a few years, many companies have been quickly introducing new BEV models in the market this year. A number of them are from China, which has the largest EV market in the world, so we are seeing many new brands and models which have unusual names as well.

ORA is one of those new brands and though the brand is new, the brand owner is not. It is a BEV-dedicated brand of Great Wall Motors (GWM), the leading truck and SUV manufacturer in China. GWM is not new to Malaysia as their Haval models have been on sale over the past 10 years, marketed by a local company. In order to more effectively invest and manage their business here, they have established a subsidiary company which will handle distribution and marketing.

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To mark the closing of the 75th anniversary celebrations of the time when Ferrari’s first-ever racing car, the 125 S, exited the factory gates in 1947, the sportscar maker has unveiled the Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo. However, this closed-wheel single-seater is not a production model: it is the first Ferrari concept car created specifically for the virtual motor sport world.

This model signifies an important step for Ferrari in the virtual environment, while also redefining  its stylistic language. It represents a futuristic design manifesto for Ferrari’s road and racing cars, a stimulus for both the engineers and drivers (real and virtual) of tomorrow.

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