Malaysian ministers to switch to EVs for their official cars starting from 2023



The Malaysian government will soon make the switch over to fully-electric vehicles (EVs) for ministers’ official vehicles, according to Minister of Environment and Water, Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. Speaking in a press conference after officiating a Khidmat Malaysia office in Batu Caves yesterday, he said, “Starting next year (2023), all government procurements will move toward electric cars,” as reported by Malaysia Gazette.

The Hyundai Kona electric is the cheapest EV in Malaysia currently, from RM149,888

Despite the verbal confirmation, details on EV usage by the Malaysian government have yet to be disclosed. According to Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, the cost of EVs is expensive as their numbers are low. He believes that the cost will go down as the number of EVs in Malaysia increases.

The minister adds that the issue with EVs right now is (or lack thereof) the charging facility. He says that the government must first prepare charging stations where needed to allow usage of EVs by the government ministers.

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The Mercedes-Benz EQS450+ retails at RM698,888

Currently, the EVs that have been launched in Malaysia include the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, BMW iX, BMW i4, Mercedes-Benz EQA, Mercedes-Benz EQS, Porsche Taycan, and the MINI Cooper SE.

Most of them, however, don’t really fit the ‘usual’ look of the official minister’s cars in Malaysia – sub-compact SUVs and low-slung sedans aren’t exactly the kind of cars used by government officials, and the most “proper” sedan in the list costs nearly RM700,000.

So far, official cars for government ministers have included the cars like the Proton Perdana and Toyota Vellfire. Will our ministers be chauffeured around in the luxurious Mercedes-Benz EQS? Or could it be another more affordable, properly-sized EV that is making its way to our shores? With the elections expected to take place later this year, let’s not get too excited about what the ministers say they plan for 2023 just yet.

RELATED: You can now pay for EV charging via Setel from RM1.20 per minute