PUTRAJAYA: Green hydrogen fuel could compete with petrol by 2050 once Malaysia develops its own hydrogen economy ecosystem, says the Science, Technology, and Innovation ministry.
Its minister Chang Lih Kang said transitioning to green hydrogen is part of Malaysia's mission to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
First, Malaysia must establish both the demand and supply for green hydrogen within the country, which involves the construction of hydrogen plants.
"For now, we have yet to set the price for green hydrogen because we don't have a plant yet, and it's not yet commercialised, so the price is quite high. But we are working towards that.
"If we go commercial for mass production, green hydrogen could compete with petrol, but of course, bear in mind that in Malaysia, petrol is heavily subsidised.
"In the long run, we believe that by 2050, green hydrogen could be in competition with petrol," he said at a press conference after the Mobile Hydrogen Refueling Unit (MHRU) and Toyota Mirai usage demonstration.
MHRU is a technology for refueling vehicles with hydrogen, replacing fossil fuels.
It is also mobile, allowing it to be relocated to different locations according to current needs.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim officiated the event, traveling to the Prime Minister's office in a Toyota Mirai.
The Mirai is a Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) that generates electricity using hydrogen for propulsion, with water as a byproduct without any carbon emissions.
Chang added that Malaysia is working towards building a hydrogen economy, including the construction of two hydrogen plants.
He said the government is hoping to benefit from the hydrogen economy, with approximately RM12 billion in the export of green hydrogen.
"By 2026, we could start exporting to Japan and Korea. It will take some time, but slowly and surely, hydrogen will be competitive compared to petrol.
"We are also looking at collaboration with private sectors to help Malaysia create a more robust economic ecosystem on the supply and demand side," he said, adding that green hydrogen is clean and easily available in the environment.
"We are also going to launch an MHRU by the end of this year in Putrajaya," he said.
Chang said among the benefits of a green hydrogen car is that it has a short refueling period of about three to four minutes for a full tank, a range of about 700 kilometers to 1,000 kilometers per full tank, and that it weighs less compared to other electric vehicles.
