Electrification may be the future, but some places show better growth than others. Here, the steps being taken can be deemed small and slow, with hybrids and plug-in hybrids remaining a trickle in the larger scheme of things, and full electric vehicles very much still a rarity.
Cost is the biggest hurdle, of course, but as is the case just about everywhere, government assistance is key to growth. Locally, policies and initiatives haven’t been always been clearly and consistently defined, which is why the mention of one a couple of days ago came as bit of a surprise.
Speaking at the Dewan Rakyat, deputy transport minister Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar said the government has always encouraged the use of vehicles using green technology by promoting various initiatives, and among these are a 50% reduction in road tax for full-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV), as Bernama reports.
The report wasn’t all that clear about whether this is a proposal or something that is being considered. For sure, it’s not reality, because no such relief is in place, at least not for PHEVs. Currently, all PHEVs registered in Malaysia do not enjoy any such halving of their road tax, paying the going rate based on regular displacement calculations.
Electric vehicles do “enjoy” some relief in road tax at present, but this is more of it being a result of a technical loophole, as we reported last month. For example, the Renault Zoe currently pays RM28 in road tax when it should be paying RM56, if it was based on the set of motor kilowatt output-based calculations that were drafted for EVs back in 2011.
The half-rate is the result of traditional engine cc displacement being used to calculate the road tax, where the rates for EVs were previously keyed in under the cc category during the vehicle registration as a matter of familiarity. This will change at some point, and that 50% reduction will go as a result to the switch to kilowatt-based input and calculations.
In related news, Kamarudin revealed the number of EVs and PHEVs that were currently on Malaysian roads. Replying to a question by Senator Datuk Seri Khairuddin Samad on the number of vehicles registered with the transport ministry, he said a total of 5,403 electric cars and 46,981 plug-in hybrid vehicles were registered as at March 31 this year.
“Of the total, Selangor recorded the highest number of registered electric cars at 2,791, while Federal Territory recorded the highest number of hybrid cars at 25,360,” he said.
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Yet, manufacturers vote with their pocket and chose to open plants in Thailand, even frickin Singapore.
Madani proved to be a useless bloodsucker waste of taxpayers’ money. Talk so much, yet nothing to show.
His head should have rolled a long time ago, but his jilating allowed him to live on at the expense of the country.
Chop his head, and govt should listen to Geely. They’ll give far better advice, their successful turnaround of Volvo, London Taxi, now Proton and next Lotus and smart car at least is all the evidence anyone ever needs.
Oh yeah, sure. Initiatives like increasing the prices of hybrid & EV cars, reduction of incentives for assemblers with EV vehicles, and going to hike up the electricity rates for PHEV charging? You mean that kind of initiatives? Sorry but we aren’t born yesterday.
Is the Dewan Rakyat becoming a forum looking for fools they can pander to?
No such thing as road tax reductions for PHEV. Even chargEV stations also need to pay annual subscription fees almost RM300 since September last year. It used to be free under the initiative by GreenTech Malaysia which is under the purview of Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment & Climate Change. After paid the fees also doesn’t mean you can use the charging stations as you wish coz need to take turn with other users due to its scarcity or those non-PHEV driver who simply park at the designated area. If it’s not because of EEV incentives by previous administration, perhaps not many people can afford this CKD hybrid. So Mr deputy minister please cut the crap!
Normal hybrids should be given reduction too.
Promoting green vehicles is well and good but please crack down on polluting ones on the road at the same time. One polluting lorry will easily negate the benefits of ten green vehicles.
I don’t want 50K, 65K or 120K just for the battery ok?
As expected, this gov bantuan only helps the rich and not the common folk.
you lied
Still too little efforts taken. Thailand and Singapore are leading the charge.
How bout the price for EV cars?still expensive
Great.. the super rich got another tax break. Same ol same ol Malaysia baru lama.
but there is no low cost green car available in the market? what’s the point? How many luxury green cars on the road compare to normal commute car or national cars? do you think if they afford to buy green car will care about the RM 28 road tax???
5,400 registered electric cars on the road? Sure or not??
Ya right, kept talking about EEV (small ICEs)
Electric cars is a sham. We should not use rakyat’s money to support an elite lifestyle for the rich so that they can have special parking space for their electric/plugin cars at shopping malls and hotels.
Battery technology still has a long long way to go before it can be made cheaply for mass market electric car production.
The whole electric cars scam is a brilliant strategy by the rich to preach the poor about green tech while enjoying tax breaks and other special treatment for owning the cars by the governments around the world.
Bring in the Tesla right-hand drive version, throw in some solid and concrete incentives. Then only can talk. As of right now, most of the current government’s claim regarding electric vehicles can be regarded as “hot-air”.. 0
Bring in the Tesla right-hand drive version, throw in some solid and concrete incentives. Then only can talk. As of right now, most of the current government’s claim regarding electric vehicles can be regarded as “hot-air”..
Then can they explain why Geely/Proton isn’t considering any introduction of EV vehicles here? No point talking about cars that were introduced under the previous regime, the govt has changed. Investors want to know what are their plans before committing. An i3 is not going to be mass market, so no point crowing about it like it is going to make a difference. Investors suspect this is going to be an exclusive market for the 3rd national car, back to where we were in the 90s.
Then things that comes out of an elected representative mouth. It’s as if the brain is bypass. No wonder Tun is having to work 3 times harder.
Its good to know this but I hope these initiatives and incentivizes don’t go to a bunch of Wannabees and cronies who managed to steal the limelight from real people just to get free money from gov. please control this better and stop these people.
So says the crony
50% reduction for road tax will not encourage people to buy PHEV or FULL ELECTRIC CARS as for now. Goverment/Transport Minister, please look into current charging facilites in our currently, do you think we’re ready for FULL ELECTRIC yet? Btw, how much can we save for 50% discount on road tax per year?
Now the petrol price just RM2 plus per litre, and for long run, does the battery replacement cost justify enough vs the petrol used?
But that will be different story when petrol price raised to RM5 or RM10 per litre.
Please consider to extend the tax incentive scheme for hybrid/PHEV/FULL ELECTRIC just like previous NAP did. Tax free for hybrid/phev/full electric will definitely attract people to buy it.
Cheers
EV & PHEV is still affordable only to the rich. If petrol goes to Rm5-10/L, those majority who cannot afford for EV/PHEV will die standing.
2 years 1/2 price is hardly interesting enough. And only EV & PHEV? Well, let the poor subsidize the rich, even with their hard earned penny. Cheapest PHEV costs in only 250k, with cheapest EV – Renault Zoe, only 150k. We don’t care about the bloody ‘discount’. But, more then welcome. The rest of comonor can just continue to pay full price for your cheapo persona, city & vios fuel & road tax, while us rich ppl reap all the benefit. No support for hybrid also? Good. As if they know how to spend their money.