KUALA LUMPUR: As one of the leading automotive groups in Malaysia and Asia-Pacific, Sime Darby Motors has been laying its groundwork and ecosystem to support and sustain the local growth of electric vehicle (EV) usage.
In an email reply to Star CarSifu, a Sime Darby Motors spokesman said the auto group has its own initiative to build up the EV infrastructure in the country that saw it entering a Memorandum of Understanding with Tenaga Nasional Bhd.
"This partnership is currently exploring among others, the installation of EV charging infrastructure at strategic locations along key travel routes to better support the EV community," the spokesman said.
The group believes that the demand for EVs are also spurred by increased efforts by the automotive industry to set up a comprehensive EV charging infrastructure network and address a key concern for EV adopters which is range anxiety.
"There are also brand specific efforts to grow the country’s EV charging infrastructure, for instance, Porsche distributor Sime Darby Auto Performance pioneered the high-performance EV charging landscape by offering the first 175kW chargers across all Porsche centres nationwide.
Shell-Porsche high-performance charging (HPC) station in Tangkak, Johor.
"To build on this, another milestone is a collaboration between Porsche Asia Pacific and Shell to offer Southeast Asia’s first cross-border high-performance charging network with 180kW high-performance chargers at six Shell Recharge stations in Malaysia that allow for rapid charging while travelling interstate or cross border, while in Singapore or Thailand," the spokesman said.
Porsche Taycan.
The spokesman said as the dealer for over 30 marques across nine markets in Asia-Pacific, Sime Darby Motors has an array of EV offerings from its existing OEMs (BMW, Porsche, Hyundai, Jaguar) complemented by partnerships with new EV brands such as BYD, Nio, Weltmeister and Li Auto.
Previous generation EVs sold in Malaysia tend to have a single-charge driving range around 150km which limited their usability to city cars and reduced their appeal among typical drivers who are used to internal combustion engine vehicles that could go up to 400km or more on a single tank of fuel.
Hyundai Kona Electric.
However, newer generation EVs are now offering a single-charge range of more than 400km, and among them are the Porsche Taycan; BMW iX, iX3 and i4, and Hyundai Kona Electric e-Max.
With more charging stations being set up at high traffic areas and strategic mid-points between large cities, electromobility with zero emissions travelling are expected to gain traction among consumers.
BMW i4.
Budget 2022 also gave EV adoption a boost by allowing imported EVs to get full import and excise duty exemption for two years till the end of 2023, while locally assembled EVs will get excise duty as well as sales tax exemption for four years until the end of 2025.
EV owners will also be exempted from road tax and get a personal tax relief of up to RM2,500 for the costs in the purchase, installation, rental and subscription fees for EV charging facilities for two years from 2022 to 2023.
BMW iX.
The spokesman said Budget 2022 incentives would go a long way to addressing pricing which is another hurdle to EV adoption.
He suggested additional government assistance could be in terms of planning for more public charging infrastructure and/or further incentives to set the stage for private investment for charging stations.
The spokesman said the auto group's exposure to China, the world’s largest and most sophisticated EV market, had provided Sime Darby Motors with unrivalled insight into EV market development that could be adapted to support the development of a robust EV ecosystem in Malaysia.
BMW iX3.
The spokesman said the group's assembly capabilities at Inokom would also be a key enabler in helping increase EV adoption by offering new Chinese EV makers which are producing affordable EVs to roll out right-hand drive versions of their vehicles.
The spokesman also said the increasing demand for sustainable products along with government support and the falling cost of EV batteries which has narrowed the cost gap between EVs and internal combustion engine cars, had led to the accelerated global adoption of EVs.
"We are confident that as the market matures, the government will similarly adapt to the needs of the market and provide the relevant assistance to achieve the country’s low carbon mobility goals under the 12th Malaysian Plan," the spokesman said.
