KUCHING: CityONE Megamall Kuching is the first shopping mall in Sarawak and Sarawak to have BMW i Wallbox charging stations accessible to all plug-in hybrid vehicle owners.
The new public charging facility, capabable of charging electric and plug-up electric vehicles at the most prominent megamall along Jalan Tun Jugah, was introduced by property developers, Kenbest in partnership with authorised BMW dealers’ representative, Regas Premium Auto.
The two charging stations are located at CityONE Megamall’s Premium Drop Off Carpark and the BMW i Wallbox is the perfect solution for convenient, safe and fast charging.
The new BMW i Wallbox at CityONE Megamall is not only the first of its kind in Sarawak but also the first BMW i Wallbox to be installed in any mall in Malaysia.
Asssistant Minister of Coastal Road, Datuk Haji Julaihi Narawi, officiated at the launching of the BMW i Wallbox charging stations at CityONE Megamall here yesterday on behalf of Deputy Chief Minister and Minster of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Amar Haji Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
Tengah, in his text of speech read by Julaihi, said the initiative by Kenbest and Regas Premium Auto was not only progressive for the state but also for Malaysia as it was in line with Malaysia’s commitment at the 15th United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen in 2009 to reduce its Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emission intensity by 40% to address climate change and global warming by the year 2020.
“Kenbest, in collaboration with Regas Pemium Auto, has come up with a positive move today by providing convenient charging stations for free as their way of playing a part in reducing carbon emissions and lowering petrol consumption for a sustainable future,” he said.
Tengah hoped both companies would continue to introduce other green elements in their projects in future in order to help the government reduce pollution.
In his speech, Marketing Director of Kenbest Sdn Bhd, Johnathan Long, said the event marked yet another milestone in Kenbest Group’s initiative towards a more sustainable environment.
Sharing Tengah’s sentiments, Long said besides the convenience, Kenbest was playing its part in reducing carbon emissions and lowering petrol consumption for a sustainable future.
“Continued reliance on fossil fuels will see us facing prolonged heat waves, rising sea levels, changing rainfall patterns that will disrupt the ecosystem, and damage livelihoods.
“We want to continue to introduce other green elements in all our projects in the future such as our recent Plant-A-Tree event at Milan Square in February,” he said.
CEO of Regas Group David Tay, said when BMW Group Malaysia first introduced the All-New BMW X5, BMW 330e and BMW 740Le Hybrid Vehicle with electric driving capabilities, the premium automaker also began a working relationship with Gree Tech Malaysia to promote the public electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the country.
He revealed that Regas had already delivered more than 100 BMW Hybrid Vehicles with eDrive technology here.
“While the special service will benefit the customers here, the offering will also promote the extensive demand and use of the next generation of passsengers vehicles – the Mobility of the Future,” he said.
According to Tay, to date, there are over 120 public charging infrastructure all over Malaysia but none in Sarawak. That was why Kenbest and CityONE Megamall decided to set up a BMW I Wallbox at the premises of the mall.
Julaihi hoped that in the future. Kenbest and Regas Premium Auto would consider putting up similar stations along the Pan Borneo Highway and the coastal roads as well.