KUCHING: If you have been waiting to take a ride on the prototype Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) Hydrogen Vehicle (H2V) you need to remain patient.
It is still undergoing a Proof of Concept (POC) exercise, which has now moved into the second stage, to ensure everything is ship shape before operations commence.
A statement from the state Ministry of Transport said while the POC exercise is ongoing, the prototype ART H2V is not open to the public.
However, stakeholders from relevant agencies will be invited to experience rides on the prototype, allowing them to understand its capabilities and functionalities firsthand, and to gather feedback from them.
State Minister of Transport, Datuk Sri Lee Kim Shin visited the Stage 2 POC exercise location at the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway, to view the test run.
The Ministry stated that during Lee’s visit, he was briefed on the progress of the POC exercise by Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd.
According to the statement, the prototype ART H2V, which recently completed its engineering run, was moved from Pending Port Terminal to La Promenade on Nov 17, to implement Stage 2 of the POC exercise at the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway.
“This POC exercise, from Nov 20 to Dec 15, is to gather essential data for use to evaluate the ART H2V’s viability and will contribute significantly to the final design of the ART system and vehicle.
“Key focus areas for this POC exercise include assessing the ART system’s performance capabilities and overall feasibility, namely, hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system demonstration, vehicle guidance system demonstration, hydrogen vehicle refuelling demonstration, technical data and design demonstration, infrastructure design demonstration, stakeholders’ demonstration and feedback,” the Ministry said.
It added that the POC exercise is being carried out at a newly-constructed 2.6km stretch between the Sarawak Heart Centre roundabout and the Industrial Training Institute (ILP) roundabout on the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway.
“The ART will operate on dedicated lanes, either at-grade (road level) or elevated and will not share the road with other vehicles,” it added.
The prototype ART H2V has covered a total distance of 5,407 km (including during Stage 1 of the POC exercise in China) involving the participation of 84 agencies.
The Ministry said that a total of 1,999 people have ridden on the prototype.
