Malaysian Government Fleet To Include EVs Starting 2023

The Malaysian government will be adopting electric vehicles (EV) into their vehicle fleet, and it'll start in 2023.

According to the Minister of Environment and Water, Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, all new vehicle procurement by the government and GLCs will consist of electric cars, and as stated above, that'll begin next year.

Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint (2021-2030)

One of the strategies within the Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint (LCMB) published by the Malaysian Green Technology And Climate Change Centre back in 2021, states that EV adoption by the government and GLCs will be the catalyst for a much wider EV adoption by private vehicle users and even business model developments for local EV manufacturing.

Plans to start in certain locations like Langkawi and Putrajaya carry some forward-thinking suggestions such as the possibility of providing electric motorcycles to residents in the first stage of the pilot test. These locations were also mentioned as they have the potential for better adoption for infrastructure and support.

Going back to the LCMB, the initial stage will only see 10% of new vehicle procurements for the government fleet to include BEVs (by open tender). By 2025, that number will shoot up to 50% before the plan to 'establish local product qualification for tender participation' is set into motion by 2030.

Will the cost be of any issue?

Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim also mentioned that the details have not been finalised yet as the EV options in the country are still quite limited. If the program were to start now, the cost would be higher as compared to a later date when more EVs are used.

As for the charging infrastructure, the government is in multiple negotiations with several parties to further expand the network to accommodate more EV users in the country, as well as ensure that the chargers are reliable to use as more electric cars roam the roads today.