KUALA LUMPUR: All natural gas vehicles (NGVs) will no longer be allowed on the road or be registered effective July 1 next year, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said.
This decision, he said, was made by the cabinet on Oct 2 after taking into consideration the safety of NGVs and other road users.
Loke said the supply of NGVs across the country will be phased out beginning Oct 1, and by the second quarter of 2025, there will be no retail supply of NGVs available in the market.
"All dual-fuel vehicle registration information will be automatically changed to use petrol only, to prevent revenue leakage to the government.
"This is also to ensure the owner of the vehicle involved is charged to the motor vehicle licence fee according to the rate set to the class of vehicles powered by petrol," he said at a press conference on the direction of NGV vehicles here today.
Loke said records showed that modifications and installations of NGV vehicles were made between 1995 and 2014 and many of these vehicles were nearing the end of their NGV tank lifespan and require replacement.
"NGV tanks have a safe usage period of around 15 years and if not replaced, they become unsafe to use and may fail to function at any time, posing risks of injury, death and significant property damage," he said.
Loke said some users had modified their vehicles using cooking gas cylinders (LPG), which is extremely dangerous and has previously resulted in accidents and explosions. He said LPG cylinders operate at about 7 bar (100 pounds per square inch), whereas NGV tanks can withstand pressures of up to 220 bar (3,200 psi).
He said replacing these components can be costly, exceeding RM7,000 per vehicle and NGV replacement parts, particularly tanks, are either unavailable or very difficult to obtain in the local market.
"From observations and feedback received, some vehicle owners have used parts from previously used tanks or unapproved modifications, including using LPG tanks. Such issues ultimately pose safety risks, injuries or fatalities to all users or owners of the affected vehicles," he said.
Loke said there were two categories of vehicles affected by this ban: petrol-powered vehicles modified for dual-fuel use and imported vehicles specifically designed to operate solely on NGV (mono-fuel).
He said according to Road Transport Department records over the past three years, there are approximately 44,383 active NGV vehicles registered.
This includes 9,509 taxis and rental cars, 32,137 private vehicles, 2,150 buses and lorries and 587 machinery units.
He said the number of NGV-powered vehicles was quite small, at just 0.2 per cent of the total registered motor vehicles in Malaysia, excluding motorcycles.