Malaysia Moves To Phase Out CNG Vehicles Over Safety Concerns

The Malaysian government has announced plans to phase out the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) for vehicles and end the sale of natural gas vehicles (NGV) in the country.

The country’s Minister of Transport, Loke Siew Fook, disclosed this at a press conference recently, according to a report by Free Malaysia Today (FMT).

LEADERSHIP reports that in Nigeria, the federal government is pushing for the adoption of CNG as an alternative fuel for transportation.

The initiative, introduced by President Bola Tinubu administration as a measure to curb the impact of the removal of petrol subsidy on individuals, “attracted over $200 million in investments so far as the government plans to build 1,000 conversion centres” across the country.

Unlike in Nigeria, in Malaysia, CNG is referred to as NGV. Fook said CNG-powered vehicles can no longer be registered or be used in Malaysia from July 1, 2025.

He also said the government-owned oil and gas company, Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), will halt the sale of CNG at its stations in stages, starting from July 1, 2025.

The minister said with only about 44,383 NGVs currently in the country — accounting for 0.2 per cent of vehicles in Malaysia, excluding motorcycles — the safety of road users and the public will be restored.

“The NGV tanks of these vehicles are now reaching the end of their service life and need to be replaced and NGV tanks typically have a safe usage period of 15 years,” Fook said.

He further said there are also some car owners who have modified their vehicles using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, which are very dangerous.

The minister said the vehicles had caused explosions during accidents.