The Government is working towards creating a more supportive ecosystem for electric vehicle (EV) users in Malaysia, although the development of public charging infrastructure remains a key challenge.
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said the Government viewed EVs as vehicles for the future, but stressed that wider adoption would depend on the availability of adequate supporting infrastructure.
He said one of the main challenges was changing the perception that EVs were mainly suitable for city driving and unsuitable for longer journeys.
According to Johari, many Malaysians who currently own EVs tend to use them as second or third vehicles, largely because they remain concerned about the availability of public charging facilities when travelling long distances.
“If we want to drive from Johor to Perlis, or from Perlis to Johor, what worries people is that there are still not enough public charging facilities in many areas,” he said.
Johari said the Ministry was also studying the most appropriate mechanism for a proposed levy on EVs, with the potential revenue aimed at supporting the expansion of charging infrastructure nationwide.
He said the proposal was being refined as the Government faced financial limitations in developing a large-scale public charging network comparable to the system established in China.
Johari said Malaysia could learn from major EV-producing countries, where vehicle manufacturers themselves have played an important role in developing the charging ecosystem alongside the Government.
He stressed that companies bringing affordable EVs into Malaysia should also take responsibility for establishing the necessary charging facilities instead of focusing solely on vehicle sales.
“If there is no ecosystem, you come here only to sell cars, it will become a problem. It will be a problem for the people who buy them,” he said.
Johari also cited his experience in China, where substantial Government investment in public charging infrastructure, followed by contributions from EV manufacturers, helped support the rapid growth of the country’s EV market.
He said Malaysia faced a different situation as many EV manufacturers operating in the country were foreign companies, raising questions over who should shoulder the responsibility and cost of developing the wider charging network.
The Minister also previously pointed out that the cost of developing charging infrastructure must take into account Malaysia’s electricity generation mix, which continues to rely on natural gas and coal.
He said the Government therefore needed to address both affordability and sustainability when planning the country’s EV ecosystem, as stronger infrastructure would be crucial to encouraging Malaysians to make EVs a more practical choice for both urban and long-distance travel.
