Fillip to green mobility
IN addition to the RM50 promotional yearly subscription fee reported previously, COMOS has announced a 25 per cent reduction in usage fees – RM6 per 15 minutes from RM8 – for the first three months and the six hours charge limit on bookings.
With the launch earlier this month, CMS Consortium Ecotour Sdn Bhd (CMS) has started the electric vehicle (EV) car sharing industry in Malaysia with 10 COMOS stations in Klang Valley housing a total of 10 electric vehicles – a fleet of both the Renault ZOE and Renault Twizy.
More stations are planned for Langkawi, Malacca, Johor and Penang as nationwide development of the network is in the works to support the growth of the industry.
For the currently up-and-running COMOS network, members can check the locations of COMOS stations for pick-up and drop-off, find and reserve cars, and check their account status. Bookings can be made from as early as 10pm on the day before intended use.
CMS executive chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said: “COMOS is supporting the government’s initiatives; one of it is through the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) on the National Automotive Policy (NAP) by creating critical mass for the utilization of EVs. The NAP 2014 has set a target to develop Malaysia as the regional automotive hub or energy efficient vehicles and in doing so will increase the value-added activities and continuously develop domestic capabilities.
“One of the promoted segments of EEV is the EV. COMOS will create much needed awareness among the public and this will lead to better appreciation and acceptance of EVs in Malaysia. This will then help create the ecosystem that will further encourage OEMs to bring their EV and related technology to Malaysia, and help spur the development of supporting EV component industry as part of the objectives of the NAP.”
He added that COMOS charging stations are accessible to anyone driving an EV or plug-in hybrid who registers as a COMOS member in a move to encourage EV usage among Malaysians.
Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib drove a COMOS vehicle around Menara UOA and back to the charging station at the event after receiving his membership card. Datuk Tan Heng Chew, Tan Chong Motor Holdings president, was also on hand to oversee the launch.
After the promotional period, COMOS memberships will cost RM300, RM50 and RM25 yearly, weekly and monthly respectively. Billing is listed as RM8 per 15 mintes of use with a minimum use period of 30 minutes.
COMOS is a private-public initiative among the Malaysian Greenwich Corporation and CMS.