Transport minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong has said that new policies are needed in Malaysia to address various issues surrounding electric vehicles (EVs) for the sector to flourish.

On his official Facebook page, Wee said that with EVs becoming more prevalent throughout the world, it was inevitable for EVs to become a mainstream development in Malaysia. “We are currently in need of an ecosystem that will support the use of EVs as the speed of building such infrastructure is slow,” he wrote in a post.

“With the emphasis for various transportation sectors to go green, it is time for us to conduct in-depth studies on the implementation plans of introducing more charging stations in public places, including shopping malls and highways, and on the disposal of old batteries,” he added.

Last year, the Malaysian Green Technology And Climate Change Centre (MGTC, formerly known as GreenTech) published its Low Carbon Footprint Blueprint 2021-30 which outlines proposals on ways to address emissions in the land transport sector. Among the measures that are planned is the establishment of a national target of having 7,000 AC public charging points and 500 DC charging points.

Meanwhile, to encourage EV demand, the government outlined in Budget 2022 that CBU EVs would be exempt from import and excise duties until December 31, 2023, while CKD EVs are until December 31, 2025. EVs are also exempt from road tax until December 31, 2025.

Wee’s statement comes after the transport minister received a courtesy call from AlphaESS CEO and co-founder Alfred Wang on Monday (June 13, 2022). During the meeting, both exchanged views on EV development in Malaysia and the world, with AlphaESS vice president and co-founder Zoe Zhang and general manager for Malaysia, Arthur Liu, also present.

Source : Paul Tan Automotive