Volvo Trucks Malaysia (Volvo Trucks) has officially introduced its fully electric heavy-duty prime movers for Malaysia and the launch also marked the first electric heavy-duty prime mover to be launched in the Southeast Asia region.
Following the announcement, Swift Haulage Berhad, an integrated logistics company, became one of Volvo Trucks’ first adopters of the electric truck.
According to Volvo Trucks, the emissions from one heavy-duty truck are comparable to those of up to 47 passenger vehicles. The comparative research revealed a larger requirement for stakeholders to develop an electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem that is friendly and appealing to operators in the transport and logistics segment from the policy level through to the operational level.
Charging and Power
The Volvo FM, FH, and FMX fully electric models were all introduced as part of the formal unveiling. For different applications and market niches, Volvo’s electric prime movers are built with a variety of axel layouts. This is mirrored by variable battery configurations available with a total energy storage of up to 540kWh.
According to independent tests, under the same driving conditions, the electric truck has the ability to use 50% less energy than a Volvo FH diesel-powered engine, giving businesses better fuel economy for travelling the same distance.
The debate has been raging for years now – which petrol actually takes you further? Some swear by Shell, other say it is BHPetrol or Petronas.
But there has never been a real world test conducted – till now.
The team at PISTON took it upon ourselves to finally put an end to the debate.
The contenders – Petronas, Shell and BHPetrol – were chosen as they are some of the most widely available fuel providers around the Klang Valley and Peninsular Malaysia.
The cars we chose for this comparison are three Honda City RS e:HEV, or otherwise known as the Honda City Hybrid.
Why did we choose the City Hybrid? Well, the objective of the comparison was to see which fuel gives us the most mileage over the most diverse terrain we could find.
We wanted to drive through heavy traffic, uphill and downhill, through highways and back roads. And because the City Hybrid is impressively frugal, we were confident that we would not need to refuel despite driving close to 500km’s in a day.
And we were right, the Honda City proved to be the perfect companion as it offered impressive comfort and features like Apple Carplay and Android Auto to keep us entertained throughout the long, tiring drive.
We would like to extend a special thanks to Honda Malaysia for loaning us the three Honda City’s.
We also took as much care as possible to eliminate all possible variables. First we extended a request to Honda Malaysia to service all three cars with new lubricants to which they generously obliged (thank you Honda!). This was to ensure that the engines of the three cars were working equally as hard and there was not one working harder than the other.
Secondly, we ensured that the tyres of all three cars had the same pressure. This was to ensure equal rolling resistance. Low tyre pressure results in higher rolling resistance which in turn increases fuel consumption. So it was essential to ensure the tyre pressure of all three cars were the same!
And we also ensured all three cars had a lone driver. Vehicle load also increases fuel consumption, and because all three drivers were roundish around the sides, weight was about the same as well.
And finally, we took special care to ensure that residual fuel was minimised. We did not want fuel brands mixing up with one another. So we were sure to empty out the tanks as much as possible (by driving instead of draining) and then refuelling with the competing fuel.
So with this, we hit the road from Kayu Ara towards the Damansara toll. Our journey took us east towards Raub via the Karak Highway, and then off the highway towards Sungai Koyan. From there we headed West towards Cameron Highlands, and then north via the old Tapah road. From there, we hit the highway heading south and ended at the Jejantas Sungai Buloh.
From 1 August 2023, Puspakom Kuching operations will move to a new branch at Puspakom Kota Samarahan which is located at Lot 11320 & 11321, Block 59, Kota Samarahan Industrial Estate (Extension), 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak with operating hours from Monday to Friday, 8.00 morning to 5.30 pm.
With McLaren’s decision to give priority to higher-margin products like the Elva and 765LT Spider with limited semiconductor supply, the Artura was postponed for a third time in late 2021. Just a few months prior, the business had informed U.S. consumers that a delay until late August or early September of the same year was due to problems with software providers.
The plug-in hybrid Artura’s deliveries have once again been postponed by McLaren, which means buyers will have to wait at least an additional four months to receive their car keys.
The Rolls-Royce Spectre is the British automaker’s first-ever electric vehicle to be produced in large numbers, and the Goodwood-based company has encountered longer-than-expected order backlogs.
The assumption is that after the car’s supply is depleted, the value of the used car market will soar. Goodwood, on the other hand, is supposedly not going to do any of that and will permanently blacklist anyone who sells their Rolls-Royce Spectre EV for profit.
“They’re going immediately on a blacklist and this is it—you will never ever have the chance to acquire again,” Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said.
Rolls is not the only company to voice its displeasure with resellers. Back in 2017, Porsche GT CEO Andreas Preuninger stated that Porsche was keeping track of which customers were reselling cars in order to restrict such customers from receiving special car allocations.
More recently, GM declared that if the Corvette Z06 is re-sold within a year, some warranties will be revoked, punishing any consumers who do so. Additionally, consumers who sell their Z06s will not be eligible for allocations on any future GM vehicles.
This is in fact not a new practise as Ferrari has been blacklisting re-sellers for years. Allocations for some of Ferrari’s rare hypercars such as the LaFerrari are only allocated for those who have been loyal to Ferrari and have been buying Ferraris for years. In fact, some Ferraris such as the LaFerrari are based on an invitation only purchase model.
The Spectre is expected to begin deliveries next year. According to reports, the electric coupe has received so many orders that the company’s CEO is already discussing raising production levels. The base model of the first-ever electric Rolls-Royce has a starting price of around $400,000 (RM1.8 million). However, analysts predict that few customers will choose the base model, therefore the majority of Spectres leaving the factory will likely cost more than $500,000 (RM2.3 million).
Thanks to a 700 kg high-voltage battery pack, the British luxury two-door boasts a WLTP driving range of 520km per charge. The 2857kg coupe is propelled by two independently stimulated synchronous motors that provide a combined 584hp and can accelerate the car from 0 to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds.
Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) has announced the opening of a newly upgraded Nissan showroom in Puchong, Selangor.
The new showroom is open to Nissan customers and would-be customers to experience a new level of luxury, comfort and convenience.
The showroom will feature the entire range of Nissan cars for viewing while a “Star Car” will be prominently displayed. The recently released New Serena Hybrid J-IMPUL is the star car currently.
A Hyundai Accent was disassembled with brute force in a TikTok video uploaded by the Singaporean border control agency, ultimately revealing hundreds of illegal cigarette packs stashed throughout the vehicle.
When Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers assessed a Malaysian-registered car for additional checks on June 12, 2023, at Woodlands Checkpoint, they discovered cigarette packets concealed not just beneath the bonnet but also behind the front and rear bumpers, in the door panels, and underneath the seats. Ultimately, 222 cartons, 2,710 packets, and 35 sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found, according to ICA, after their checks.
The sixth-generation Mitsubishi Triton will be unveiled on July 26 in Thailand, and the Japanese automaker has released more information about it.
The prototype truck’s camouflage, which conceals some design elements, was modelled after lava rocks that are “packed with condensed energy.” Its sides are embellished with a logo of the 10-parallel-line Ralliart company, which has a rich history in motorsport.
According to Mitsubishi, in order to achieve safe, secure, and comfortable driving for all weather or road conditions, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will use a newly developed ladder frame, chassis, and clean diesel engines in the all-new Triton one-ton pickup truck.
The newly developed ladder frame, double wishbone front and rear suspensions with leaf spring rear suspension are said to deliver the ideal driving performance and high levels of ride comfort. The newly created clean diesel turbo engine has significantly reduced friction loss while increasing output, which has improved environmental performance.
As part of the leader-follower structure of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, Mitsubishi is driving the development of the Triton, with the upcoming Nissan Navara planned to share platforms but feature different aesthetics.
The most recent Triton will be propelled by a freshly created clean turbo diesel engine, which is another powertrain-related detail that was made public. Executives have acknowledged that the technology is being studied for the Triton rather than being committed, despite the fact that plug-in hybrid power has been suggested for the new Mitsubishi pick-up. The manufacturer said it would follow the pure-electric pick-up it plans to debut after 2025 if it unveiled a Triton PHEV.
Yoshihiro Hidaka, president and CEO of Yamaha Motor, has backed hydrogen as a practical and clean way to achieve carbon neutrality and said the company would develop it as a fuel source.
McLaren’s track-only Solus GT will make its dynamic debut at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, turning a Gran Turismo idea into reality. This hypercar, known as the Solus GT, has a 5.2-liter V10 with bodywork that appears like it belongs in a futuristic video game.
The Solus GT first made its virtual premiere in Gran Turismo Sport back in 2017. The McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo was what it was called back then.
The Solus is astonishingly similar to an LMP (Le Mans Prototype) car in terms of specifications and technology as there are 264 3D printed parts utilised in the Solus GT.
Numerous characteristics strongly convey the feeling of dream becoming reality such as:
The sliding glass canopy, which curves forward to give access to the single seat in the middle
Aerodynamic pods that encase each wheel
The front splitter, which directs air through ground-effect tunnels and out the back diffuser
The motorsport-inspired intake above the cockpit that supplies the engine with cold air
A twin-element fixed rear wing
Additionally, the car features the recognisable McLaren “hammerhead” nose and teardrop cockpit with a wraparound canopy screen that offers a 180-degree perspective of the circuit.
The seat is firmly locked into place. However, the pedal box is completely adjustable, similar to the LaFerrari or a race-specific car. The Solus GT differs from a Formula 1 car in that the pedals are simple to alter while seated.
The majority of the main controls and a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display are located on the carbon fibre steering wheel. Above the driver’s head are the ignition switches and a fire extinguisher that is connected to the cars plumbing, along with a complete heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.
Mclaren’s racing heritage is embedded everywhere in the Solus GT’s specifications, McLaren’s racing heritage. Its carbon fibre monocoque tub blends the company’s expertise from the last 40 years of creating road and race cars with a technological layout that is strikingly similar to previous and current LMP endurance racers. The front and rear impact structures are built from carbon fibre rather than aluminium as they are on the company’s road cars.
The 5.2 litre V10 engine produces more than 840PS and can rev up to 10,000 rpm. All of this is contained into a compact shell that weighs less than 1,000 kg and produces 1,200 kg of downforce. It does 0-100km/h in 2.5 seconds and has a top speed of 322km/h and is controlled using a seven-speed sequential gearbox.
According to McLaren, the Solus GT is as near to the sensation and experience of driving a Formula 1 car as you can get. You can actually listen to what the screaming V10 sounds like at McLaren’s website. Just head on to the “Power” tab and let the sound of music play.
Its debut is a part of McLaren’s 60th anniversary celebration, which also includes a line up of other modern models alongside historic ones. The new 750S mid-engine supercar will make its debut and along for the high-speed fun will be McLaren’s latest hybrid supercar, the Artura. But neither of those cars will be able to match the raw power of the Solus GT.
McLaren Artura
Only 25 of these are being produced, with a price tag that swings around $3.5 million (RM16.3 million).
