GEORGE TOWN: GUH Holdings Bhd
is in discussions with Prasarana Malaysia Bhd and Rapid KL to expand its e-scooter and e-bicycle business by tapping into the growing micro-mobility industry in the country.
GUH is pursuing the business through its subsidiary, Star Wheels Electronic Sdn Bhd.
Star Wheels managing director Eric Lee told StarBiz the company would work with Prasarana and Rapid KL to expand its retail outlets, service centres and assembly facilities to support the demand, repairs and maintenance work for e-scooters.
“We hope with more ownership of e-scooters and e-bicycles, the ridership of public transport offered by Prasarana and Rapid KL will increase.
“Our foldable e-scooters and e-bicycles are easy to carry onto the LRT, MRT, Monorail and KTM trains and buses,” he said.
Lee said it is also working with government bodies like the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research, Transport Ministry and local government authorities to promote public transport, reduce traffic congestion, control the quality and specifications of products and ensure the safety of personal mobility devices users utilising the existing infrastructure.
“We hope the collaboration will increase commuters’ ridership, the safety of micro-mobility riders and more awareness campaigns to scoot safely within the guidelines set by the Transport Ministry and town councils,” Lee said.
According to a Prescient and Strategic Intelligence report, the Malaysian micro-mobility market will reach US$4.5bil in 2030 from US$2.4mil in 2020.
The report said e-mobility growth in Malaysia was driven by demand for first and last-mile connectivity, taking micro-mobility transportation from home to public transport stations and vice-versa.
Urban centres like Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Baru, Melaka, Seremban, Petaling, Shah Alam, Kuantan and Ipoh face heavier congestion and traffic jams, leading people to take public transportation.
“To use public transport, users require transport from home to stations and stations to office, and micro-mobility transport offers the best solution to complete this daily journey,” Lee said.
In February 2023, Star Wheels built and supplied e-bicycle docks with charging stations and GPS tracking systems for the local council in Sepang, collaborating with Tryke Transportation.
GUH recently acquired a 70% stake for RM2.1mil in Star Wheels, a company involved in the sales, distribution, manufacturing, assembly and repair of electric scooters, hoverboards and spare parts.
Star Wheels currently generates RM1mil to RM1.5mil sales per annum.
“The company has nine sales outlets in the country and distributors in the Philippines and Australia,” GUH managing director Datuk Seri Kenneth H’ng said, adding that the electric vehicle business has good growth potential.
The e-scooter-sharing business in Malaysia, for example, is expected to hit RM29mil in 2023 and is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 18.9% over the 2023-2027 period to reach RM58mil by 2027.
“In the e-scooter-sharing segment, we expect to see the number of users to increase to 1.1 million by 2027.
“User penetration will be 1.9% in 2023, and it will hit 3.2% by 2027. The average revenue per user is expected to amount to RM47,” H’ng said.
Some 600,000 new bikes are registered with the Road Transport Department annually, of which less than 1% are electric motorbikes. GUH will expand its e-vehicle product range to include e-motorbikes.
“Our partner, Jiangsu Xinri International Trading Co Ltd, is a globally renowned company.
“Since producing its prototypes in 1999, the company has grown internationally to over 100 countries such as the UK, Italy, France, the United States, Spain and Argentina, specialising in the design, research, development, manufacturing and selling of electric vehicles with advanced technology,” he said.
GUH will be announcing the upcoming launch of its new e-motorbike range under the brand name Sunra GUH soon.
It is confident of converting petrol motorcycle riders to e-motorbikes, especially as petrol prices in Malaysia are expected to increase as witnessed in neighbouring countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines.
