KUCHING: The second phase of the proof-of-concept (POC) exercise is expected to be carried out in the third quarter of this year, said Sarawak Minister for Transport Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin.
He said that the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) vehicle, manufactured by CRRC Zhuzhou Institute Co Ltd in Zhuzhou, China, is expected to be delivered to Sarawak around July this year.
“We will do the next POC in Sarawak once this hydrogen-powered vehicle arrives here,” he said.
He said this during a press conference after attending the briefing on Ship Survey and Proposal in Sarawak by Ship Classification Malaysia (SCM) at Imperial Hotel here yesterday.
Lee, who is also the Senadin assemblyman, added that the ART vehicle underwent Stage 1 of the POC exercise on March 15 in China.
“This vehicle that runs on hydrogen is already there. In fact, we have already given the ART a test drive, and it performed admirably on the first POC.
“However, we do wish to make some improvements to make it better in a few specific areas,” he added.
For the record, the ART is a vehicle that uses hydrogen power under the Kuching Urban Transport System (KUTS) Project.
The design, which is 30.2 metres long, 2.65 metres wide, and 3.7 metres high, is projected to be able to carry 241 passengers at a top speed of up to 70 kilometres per hour.
On March 6, Lee and representatives from his ministry, Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), and Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd went to China to conduct the first stage POC while examining the vehicle prototype.
