TNB and Mysuri Biz EV taxi partnership – first taxis in TeksiKu route to launch in November, 1,000 units expected
Tenaga Nasional (TNB) and Mysuri Biz Technologies are set to work together on a program to deploy 1,000 electric vehicles (EVs) as taxis domestic. According to Mysuri Biz Technologies CEO, Mohd Noor Ghazali, the first EV taxi is expected to start operations in November.
Talking to paultan.org at the 5th International Sustainable Energy Summit (ISES) 2022 taking place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center yesterday, he said that the focus will initially be on the Klang Valley as well as Langkawi, where the Environment Minister School and Water (KASA) Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man previously said that one of the starting points government focus on promoting electrification.
The service, which will eventually be introduced to other states, will be offered by the company under the TeksiKu banner. Teksiku is a ride-hailing mobile application developed and managed by MySuri, a platform service provider based in Cyberjaya, for taxis and rental cars.
Mohd Noor said that EV taxis aim to transform public transport and the program will allow taxi drivers to adopt new technology without having to make a large investment. He said the tram will be made available to motorists under a rental-to-own scheme through the Koperasi Jurupandu TeksiKu cooperative.
The MG ZS EVan example was shown at the event, which will form the basis of the original fleet, but intends to eventually add BYD e6 (which spotted in a TeksiKu . advertisement) into the program. Mohd Noor said a deal for that is still being discussed.
Overall, support for the charging infrastructure in the public domain will be provided by TNB, but Mysuri will also roll out a network of chargers for taxi drivers to recharge their vehicles. Incidentally, all EV cabs will have a striking yellow exterior, reminiscent of NYC cabs, as seen on the show car. Mohd Noor says this will make electric cars easier to identify and also distinguish them from regular rented cars.
Reservations for the service, when it finally begins, can be done through the TeksiKu app, but the company will also set up electronic kiosks in strategic locations (e.g. at airports and train stations in the rail network) to allow those without the app to easily secure a ride.
