The recently-launched Proton eMas 7 will be the official car of Malaysia’s ASEAN 2025 Chairmanship, but other EVs will be used as well, said natural resources and environmental sustainability (NRES) minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, according to a Bernama report.

“We will use eMas 7 at a certain level, but the other levels will also be using mostly EVs of different brands. Actually, there are other EV vehicles that will be used, only the eMas 7 is the official vehicle, but there are other vehicles at various levels. There are levels for heads of state, heads of government, ministers, officials and so on, depending on specific requests and needs,” he said at a press conference after the handover ceremony of the Guidelines for the Transition of Government Vehicles to EVs yesterday.

He also revealed in a separate Bernama report that government vehicles would be transitioning to EVs in stages beginning next year, and that whether this would involve all levels or just certain departments would depend on needs and the finance ministry’s decision.

“It depends on needs as several aspects need to be taken into account because, in the (government vehicles transition) guidelines, we need to see what is the requirement. This depends on whether the transition can be fully met by domestic EVs or other EVs and so on,” Nik Nazmi said.

The Guidelines on the Transition of Government Vehicles to EVs is a guide document drafted by the NRES ministry through the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation. It was prepared together with technical expertise and stakeholders, comprising various ministries, departments and agencies as well as industries.

“This document details the transition strategy, which covers the current fleet inventory evaluation to identify operational requirements, electric vehicle selection, charging infrastructure planning and cost analysis as well as carbon emission reduction to ensure a systematic and effective transition, besides enhancing the agenda of environmental sustainability. In addition to that, the aspects of safety, monitoring, reporting and training also are a priority to guarantee a seamless transition,” said Nik Nazmi.

“I believe the support from all parties such as procurement and asset managers, financial and account managers, including drivers, would have a positive and effective impact on environmental management, besides reducing the operational and maintenance costs of government vehicles in the long run,” he added.

The Star reports that based on the guidelines, the government aims to have EVs make up half of its fleet. “We can advise and advocate to encourage the people to use EVs but if we don’t take any action, the people will feel that we only know how to talk without action,” the English daily quoted Nik Nazmi as saying.

Source: Paul Tan