The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) plans to support Perodua in producing Malaysia’s first affordable electric vehicle (EV) priced under RM100,000, according to its minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz. Speaking to reporters yesterday, he emphasised the government’s goal in making EVs more affordable for Malaysians.
Zafrul expressed confidence that Perodua will meet its target of mass-producing the EV by the end of next year, aligning with the expected lifting of price cap protection measures. He also noted that Perodua has been actively collaborating with MITI to expedite the process.
The minister said the automotive industry is a key contributor to Malaysia’s economy, accounting for around 4% of the national GDP annually. Zafrul believes that the country is well-positioned to capture a substantial share of the Asean EV market, which is projected to be worth US$2.7 billion (RM11.6 billion) by 2027. With Perodua’s push towards affordable EV production and ongoing improvements in infrastructure, Malaysia is poised to become a major player in the regional EV market, he added.
Additionally, the minister highlighted the significant growth in Malaysia’s electric vehicle market, revealing that nearly 16,000 new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were registered in 2024, surpassing the total of 13,000 BEVs registered in 2023. This momentum supports the country’s goal of having 20% of total industry volume made up of EVs by 2030.
In terms of infrastructure, Zafrul noted that 565 new EV chargers were installed between July and September, bringing the total number of public charging stations to nearly 3,200. The government aims to further expand this network, targeting 10,000 public chargers by the end of 2025. This reduces the ratio of chargers to EVs to one-to-nine, significantly improving the convenience of electric vehicle ownership in the country.
(Source: The Edge)
