Sarawak to CKD hydrogen fuel cell electric (FCEV) cars with Australia’s H2X Global

Earlier in August, Australia’s hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) specialist H2X Global told its investors that it has received orders for its H2X Warrego, a Ford Ranger-based FCEV pick-up truck, from Malaysia. We now have more details of the Malaysian buyer.

H2X Global announced today that it has signed an MoU with SEDC Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) for the manufacturing, assembly and development of a range of strategic transport projects, including hydrogen fuel cell electric (FCEV) pick-up trucks, buses, and mobile fuel cell electric generators.

H2X Global says the joint venture will start with assembly of Warrego Pick up to City Buses and H2x Hydrogen Powered Generators. The company says it will assemble and supply 50 FCEV buses to Sarawak in the next 18 months.

H2X Global founder and CEO Brendan Norman said Sarawak was already well ahead of most states in the region and was well advanced in the establishment of long-term hydrogen production for both domestic and export use.

“It is likely that Sarawak will not only produce vehicles for its own use but will become a major supplier to other States and countries in the region,” he said.

Sarawak has ambitions to store excess power generated from its Bakun hydroelectric in the form of hydrogen, which can then be redeployed to other applications. Why not store excess energy in batteries then? Simple, because batteries are always in short supply, hydrogen is not.

The state government is currently doing road trials with 2 units of Hyundai Nexo since 2019. Meanwhile, the state’s capital city of Kuching have been using fuel cell buses since 2020.

Sarawak Energy’s Integrated Hydrogen Production Plant and Refueling Station in Kuching is the first of its kind in South East Asia. It generates 130 kg of hydrogen daily using water electrolysis.

At the moment, there are no further details regarding the invesments into vehicle assembly. Sarawak has no active automotive assembly plant. It last made a car in the early '80s, when the now defunct Sarawak Motor Industries plant in Kuching once assembled BMW 3 and 5 Series, as well as Toyota Land Cruisers. 

SEDC Energy CEO Robert Hardin said Sarawak had a unique opportunity to become a leader in the development of renewable energy transport.

“We have been using hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles for a few years now as Sarawak was an early adopter, and now we are adding projects such as hydrogen production to supply our neighbours, who are now also embracing hydrogen and other forms of renewable energy.

“H2X is a global leader in fuel cell technology, and we believe the joint venture will bring significant economic and environmental benefits to Sarawak and the Sarawak Southern Region Development for Malaysia and the ASEAN region.”

H2X Global currently has 3 models in its range. The first is the Warrego. It’s based on the Ford Ranger, offers up to 750 km driving range, with AWD too. It refuels in 3 to 5 minutes. Depending on variants, the Warrego makes between 200 to 220 kW (272 to 299 PS). It’s hydrogen tanks storage range from 6.2 kg (500 km range) to 9.3 kg (750 km). Top speed is limited to 150 km/h.

Next is the Van Darling (Darling, the famous Australian river). It comes in 3 different sizes, and can be ordered either as a panel van, a 11-seater, or even a cab-forward pick-up truck. The Van Darling has a 500 km range, refuels in 5 minutes, has a payload range of between 1,000 – 1,950 kg, and can tow 1,000 – 2,550 kg.

The last of H2X Global’s trio is the The Taxi MPV Darling, a taxi version of the Van Darling, with identical driving range and refuelling time.