Malaysia to Phase Out CNG Cars by 2025: Here’s Why

As Nigeria continues with its plans to convert 1 million cars from petrol-powered to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) by 2027, the Malaysian government has announced plans to phase out vehicles powered by CNG as early as July 2025.

According to Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Malaysian Transport Minister, the decision was reached during a Cabinet meeting on October 2, where the potential hazards of NGV tanks were deliberated and considered.

NGV tanks are Natural Gas Vehicle tanks, which are specially designed storage tanks that hold natural gas used as fuel for vehicles. Natural gas is stored in these tanks either in a compressed form (CNG) or a liquefied form (LNG), depending on the specific application and vehicle type.

Fook noted that NGV tanks often last for 15 years, after which their continued usage can pose a hazard.

“These NGV tanks have a safe usage lifespan of approximately 15 years, and if they are not replaced, they become unsafe to use and may fail at any time,” Fook said.

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Meanwhile, in Nigeria, Africa’s largest country, the government of President Bola Tinubu has increased efforts to convert vehicles from petrol to CNG, particularly in a bid to reduce costs.

Although there are an estimated 10 million vehicles in Nigeria, the Presidential CNG Initiative (Pi-CNG), launched recently by Tinubu’s administration, has been tasked with the mandate of converting at least 1 million petrol-powered vehicles by 2027.

According to information on the Pi-CNG website, the pilot program started with 21,000 units and 10 participant workshops, with a goal of reaching 150,000 units and 250 participant workshops by the end of this year.

Concerns Over CNG-Powered Vehicles

There are genuine concerns over the safety of CNG-powered vehicles.

Less than a month ago, an explosion of a CNG-powered vehicle at the NIPCO filling station in Aduwawa, Benin, Edo State, left three people severely injured.

Pi-CNG claimed that the incident was caused by an illegally fabricated cylinder made by a welder.

However, the recent report from Malaysia has raised more concerns about the safety of CNG, particularly in a country like Nigeria, where enforcing regulations can sometimes prove difficult.

Reacting to the report, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesperson, claimed that the “Malaysian issue speaks more to the safety of LPG, not the safety of CNG.”

He added that Malaysia, a country with almost the same GDP as Nigeria but a far smaller population, was not successful in its initiative of transitioning from dirty petrol and diesel to CNG.

Explaining how Nigeria is doing it better, he said:

“The end of the 15-year CNG tank cycle means they need to replace tanks, and it was easier and cheaper to scrap their program and continue with petrol than to do so if they had not built tank manufacturing capacity, which Nigeria is already developing in year one.”