Electric Cars in Malaysia, Where Are We At?
Malaysia has come a long way since the first phase of EV charging infrastructure was awarded RM5 million grant by Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (MGTC).
There are approximate 300 electric charging points across the country, with most of them concentrated along the west coast and the Klang Valley. There are also a lack of workshops that repairs electric vehicles in Malaysia. How ready is Malaysia to electric cars and when will we be ready?
If you had bought an electric car in Malaysia today, you will need to carefully plan your road trips so you will always stay within range before you’ll need to recharge. JomCharge is a private initiative to promote greater Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) adoption by offering a fast and convenient charging network along the North South Highway from Johor Bharu to Penang. Another company ChargEV – ChargeNOW stations are provided with BMW partnerships is currently the nation’s largest public charging network operating over 300 charging points in Peninsular Malaysia including Sarawak and Sabah. Even so, if you are making road trips to the east coast, it is a bit of a gamble because there are barely any charging points in Kuantan, Terengganu and Kelantan. It does require abit more work and plannning as there are only a few AC charging stations at some hotels there.
Next is poor government incentives for electric cars in Malaysia. The Green Technology Master Plan Malaysia 2017 – 2030 master plan to bridge the initiatives with tax exemption, purchase subsidy, tax incentive or special program. None of these initiatives will directly impact from consumer point of view because you will be paying approximately the same amount for road tax as an internal combustion engine. The National Automotive Policy (NAP) has also failed to meet its target by having 85% EEV built in Malaysia by the year 2020.
Nevertheless, electric vehicles are gaining more and more popularity worldwide. Norway has the highest number of plug-in electric car ownership per capita followed by California, Netherlands, Sweden, and China. Some models sold in Malaysia such as the Honda HR-V and Volkswagen Golf are also available as an electric car variant, Honda Everus VE-1 and Volkswagen E-Golf in other countries.
In Malaysia as of March 2021, there are 4 EV models officially sold in Malaysia which are the Nissan LEAF, the Mini Electric, the BMW i3s, and the Porsche Taycan. The Nissan LEAF retails for around RM181k to RM185k, the Mini Electric for around RM218k, the BMW i3s for RM268k, and the Porsche Taycan for about RM725k.
Before you even think about getting one just think about your “ideal range” and your daily use. At the moment, it’s all about range. The higher the range that car has to offer the higher the price will be. It all comes down to your current priorities and what you can afford. Malaysia has come a long way since the first phase of EV charging infrastructure was awarded RM5 million grant by Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (MGTC). Nonetheless, you can still opt of a hybrid vehicle (PHEV) before committing to a full EV lifestyle.