No plans for electric vehicles in Malaysia: Perodua
Published on: Thursday, October 26, 2017
TOKYO: Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) has no plans to introduce electric vehicles (EV) in Malaysia in the near future despite Daihatsu Motor Co unveiling a concept EV at Tokyo Motor Show 2017 on Wednesday.Daihatsu owns a 20pc stake in Perodua and a 51pc stake in its manufacturing arm, Perodua Auto Corp Sdn Bhd.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Tokyo Motor Show 2017, Perodua Auto vice-president Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad said Malaysia does not have sufficient infrastructure for the company to produce EVs.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Hybrid and EVs require the country to have sufficient infrastructure in terms of charging facilities and range of lithium ion batteries, which are currently not available in full force," he said.Zainal pointed out that a study on the impact of EV production and its market requirements in the country will be done if the company is confident there is sufficient infrastructure to support the vehicles."EVs are a totally different powertrain. We haven't done any study yet. We have not come up with any idea on what we want to do with powertrains for future generations," he said.Moving forward, Zainal said Perodua Auto would continue to boost the efficiency of its internal combustion engines by improving on their technology.
ADVERTISEMENT
The manufacturer is currently conducting a study on how to improve fuel consumption for its engines."I would rather focus on the bread and butter, which is internal combustion engine capabilities that are energy efficient, maximising the efficiency of fuel consumption, by enhancing technology," said Zainal.
ADVERTISEMENT
Perodua's Bezza, its first energy-efficient vehicle, can travel up to 22.8km per litre of petrol for the manual transmission, while the automatic transmission can travel up to 21.3km per litre.For the country to produce EVs, Malaysia Automotive Institute CEO Datuk Madani Sahari said it is important to own the technology that produces lithium ion batteries as the component makes up 40pc of the cost. The cost competitiveness of lithium ion batteries is vital in the production of EVs, he said.Currently, the automotive sector in the country is moving towards the commercialisation of lithium ion batteries, expected to commence in the first quarter of 2018.Another key infrastructure needed to produce EVs in the country is the charging stations.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
