Are EVs only for the rich? While they may be cheaper to run than their internal combustion-engined counterparts in the long run, the current entry point to EVs – with prices north of RM140k – means that it’s still a rich man’s game for now.
Fortunately for the most of us, the government is now looking to change that. In a Facebook post yesterday, Minister of International Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said that the National EV Task Force (NEVTF) is currently exploring ways “reduce EV prices in our country so that more citizens can afford them”.
The announcement is in line with the ministry’s recent statements on bringing in more affordable EVs into the country. Just last week, deputy secretary general of industry, Datuk Seri Norazman Ayub, said there will be more EV models – priced from as low as RM120,000 – to be introduced in Malaysia starting Q2 2023.
“We have now encouraged the importation of more EVs, particularly from China, because we want to have more EVs which are affordable for the rakyat,” said Norazman. This could be in reference to the BYD Dolphin, which has already been teased here in Malaysia during the launch of the Atto 3 last year.
Currently, the most affordable electric vehicle on sale in Malaysia is the Ora Good Cat, with prices starting from RM139,800 (on-the-road, without insurance) for the base 400 Pro variant.
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Aside from reducing EV prices, the NEVTF has also committed to increasing the number of charging stations across the nation in support of the growing EV ecosystem in Malaysia. The ministry previously targetted a total of 10,000 EV chargers across the nation by 2025, as part of the Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint (LCMB) 2021-2030.
The expansion of the charging infrastructure is also in line with the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (RMK-12), where the country aims to achieve carbon-neutral status by 2050, the minister added.
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