The first phase of the KL Electric A-gogo car sharing service – where people are able to rent cars for short periods of time (usually by the hour) – is set to commence in the first quarter of next year.

This will mark the second electric vehicle (EV) programme for KL City, following the signing of an MOU between Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) and KL Electric Mobility Sdn Bhd (KLEM) on Dec 18.

KLEM chairman, Datuk Seri Suhaimi Hj Abdul Rahman, said at the ceremony that the KL Electric A-gogo programme will be introduced in stages. Under the programme, people are able to rent the cars using a credit card or prepaid electronic-cash card (similar to Touch 'n Go) from any station/outlet, drive around the city within the time frame or vehicle range, and return it to any other station/outlet – provided you have a valid driver's license and ID.

With an investment of USD10 to 20 million, the first phase of the programme will see an expected 10 to 50 charging stations set up at the prime areas of KL along with 150 electric vehicles. The cars will be supplied by Autolib car sharing service from France, which in turn receives their vehicles from the Bolloré industrial group. These EVs – which are about the size of a Perodua Myvi – are capable of running a range of 220km per charge.

Suhaimi said that the first phase of the project will be funded via equity financing by Texas Gulf Energy Inc. – a Houston, Texas based company – along with local partners. Three-thousand stations are expected to be completed and fully operational within the next two years with an investment of RM1.5 billion.

An earlier project, spearheaded by CMS Consortium Sdn Bhd (CMSC), will also be moving its Cohesive Mobility Solution (COMOS) electric vehicle car sharing programme early next year.

CMSC is working in collaboration with GreenTech Malaysia (MGTC) and Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI), while First Energy Networks (FEN) – a subsidiary of Tan Chong Motor Holdings Bhd – is expected to complete 300 charging stations nationwide by the end of 2015.

Picture Credit: Tesla Motors Club