SUBANG JAYA: National car maker Proton’s new energy vehicle subsidiary, Proton New Energy Technology (PRO-NET) has exchanged MoU documents with Gentari Sdn Bhd, the clean energy subsidiary of Petronas.
PRO-NET chief executive officer Zhang Qiang represented the company while Petronas head of Clean Energy Solutions Transition Shah Yang Razalli represented Gentari.
Witnessing the event at the International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM) were Ministry of Environment and Water secretary general Datuk Seri Dr Zaini Ujang, Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) chairman Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad, Petronas president and group chief executive officer Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik and Proton deputy chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah.
After signing a general distributorship agreement with smart in August and announcing the formation of PRO-NET in September, the exchange of documents with Gentari is the next step taken by Proton to establish its presence and add to the ecosystem in the national EV and NEV space.
Initial plans are for the building of 20 DC chargers in 2023 where PRO-NET will be responsible to provide the charging location and power facilities while Gentari will be responsible in providing the charging infrastructure and operatorship solutions.
Aside from the development of charging infrastructure, Proton is working closely with smart, via its subsidiary, to ensure their EV offerings match the usage profile of Malaysian EV buyers.
At the same time, the company is also investing in growing its knowledge base in the field of NEVs by sending engineers to China to be trained in all aspects of the field.
A smart #1 EV.
Roslan said the exchange of documents with Gentari addresses one piece of Proton’s move into the NEV market and opens opportunities to collaborate with the clean energy subsidiary of Petronas to contribute to the build-up of Malaysia’s charging infrastructure.
He said as a national automotive brand, Proton should spearhead the development of Malaysia’s EV ecosystem by investing in knowledge and expertise to address potential blind spots in areas where we have little experience.
“So, we are sending 16 engineers to China for six months to be trained in R&D, vehicle performance, homologation, and testing with the aim of eventually developing and selling a homegrown NEV,” he said.
New energy vehicles is a term first used in China to refer to plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles.
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