THE government would grow the electric vehicle (EV) industry and facilitate the broader adoption of green technology, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

He said this was in line with goals in Budget 2024 – to accelerate the acceptance of EVs and promote the use of green technology across sectors.

Anwar said EVs hold significant promise to address climate change as the automotive industry accounts for about a fifth of global emissions.

“Given our ongoing reliance on imported fuels and unpredictable fluctuations in global oil prices, it makes perfect sense to promote the transition to EVs.

“This transition not only leads to fuel and gas cost savings, but also substantially reduces our greenhouse gas emissions, championing sustainability in our day-to-day activities,” he said when launching the Weststar Maxus Mifa 9 Electric Vehicle in Kuala Lumpur today.

Anwar said the government’s unwavering dedication to sustainable mobility and green technology was evident through its robust policies.

He said the government has extended import duty exemptions for locally assembled EV components until December 2027, granted full excise tax and sales tax exemptions for completely knocked down EVs, and extended duty exemptions for completely built-up EVs until December 2025.

“To further bolster EV adoption, we are offering tax deductions up to RM300,000 for companies leasing non-commercial electric vehicles, and have waived road taxes for EVs until December 31, 2025.

“As we chart a course towards a more sustainable future, we are committed to setting up 10,000 EV charging stations throughout Malaysia by 2025.

“At present, we have 1,246 operational public charging stations, signifying just the beginning of a robust charging infrastructure that will facilitate the widespread adoption of EVs,” he said. – Bernama, November 9, 2023.