To save the world and to save our environment, the EV or electric vehicles have been a hot topic around the world over the past few years. The EV project used to be led by Tesla founded by Elon Musk. To encourage other automotive companies to kickstart their own EV project, the whole EV blueprint technology has been shared across the world so to encourage young R&D engineers to focis ono developing EV. Even companies like Xiaomi and Sony are focusing on developing their own auto-drive EV.

The purpose of developing these EVs is to reduce the reliability on fossil fuel and diesel in transport industry. Even Tesla has set up their assembly factory in Indonesia to cater to their Southeast Asia (SEA) market. By leading the EV production line in SEA, does this mean Indonesia will be the leader of the new era of automation production industry?

The Rise of Production Factories for EVs

The rising of this EV project indirectly increases the factories that are required to produce the chip, chassis, assembly line around the globe to ensure the price of the EV remain at the optimal prices for everyone.

Let us breakdown the components group in the EV. Far as I know, we can break into, Electronic, mechanical, and Programming. As announced by Malaysian government, to meet increase the demand for the EV in Malaysia, several company or factory has been setup, focusing on producing the charging port for the EV at the petrol station. With the increasing of the EV user, several charging port at the stop station will not be enough to charge those vehicles. Furthermore, to charged up the vehicle required extended period, which is easily occupied those charging port at the stop station. To extract more investor to invest in Malaysia, the government also allocated budget of grant to help the manufacturers to setup the manufacturers or production, to take lead in EV production in Malaysia. According to finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, he said “EV incentives are seen to be able to support the implementation of the Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint, as well as help improve the country’s air quality index.”

EV Luxury or Necessity

The new EV prices are remained high, despite many companies released different EV model. The unreasonable prices due to the modern technology introduced in the EV, just like Samsung Fold, even though it is just a flexible screen, but the cost to produce this screen is remain high. Making the phone prices until today still cost around RM7K per unit. Same thing that happened in the EV. The ecosystem in the EV, provide a different life experience when you are driving the vehicles. The system analysis, the road sensor, and auto navigation system, provide a drive assist system for the elder and disable driver, which is a life changing game in automotive industry. However, the life of a Malaysia citizen will be slightly different compared to foreign country. The local citizen intended to have a stable commitment lifestyle, rather than having fancy high tech vehicles for the sake of environment. Estimate now, one EV cost around RM270,000 per unit, around KL or Selangor area, you can find a more comfortable Studios apartment which cost around RM250K to RM300K. The local would prefer to have a comfortable place to stay rather than having a fancy car to work. Since the monthly income only allowed them to choose, between the houses or EV on the road. As you seen, most of the normal salaryman even using public transport to work. Due to high daily expenses, most of them cannot afford to even get a budget fuel vehicle to work. As a smart consumer, it is time to ask yourself, is it a necessity to have this fancy tech-vehicle or having this EV as a status upgrade in the city.

Impact od EV Industries in Malaysia

Despite of slow growth of manufacturing industry in Malaysia, the governments are still doing their best to catch up with the renewable energy game. Earlier last few months, a total of RM3Billion soft loan and small project grant are allocated, to support the initiative of setting up the green facility to kick start EV project for SMEs in Malaysia. This shown that, government are still interested to be part of the environment saviour, to play their part to lower down the carbon dioxide emission from the automotive vehicles In Malaysia. The rise of EV productions, we will expect EV factory to be setup in few high technology park, especially in Selangor, Penang, and JB area.

Now, some of the manufacturers are still focusing on the charging station for the EV. We yet to see, which player to stand out, to take the lead in the EV production in Malaysia. Mostly like we going to have assembly factory for the EV, as the EV R&D design developed by foreign engineer or research team. When coming to the EV assemble line, expect to use smart robotic arm to do the assemble process, to reduce the assemble cost, the human error during the production process. To reduce the cost of robotic arm, local or domestic R&D team will start to develop local branded arm, and setup the production line for the robotic arm to meet up the demand from the assemble factory line, which the case will greatly increase business revenue, and activities among the local fabrication line.

Source of EV Power Supply

Despite EV running on battery, without rely on fuel during the car moving. EV still required a charging port or charging dock to charge up the vehicles. But then, do you aware that main resources used to generate the power supply in Malaysia, still rely on petroleum, natural gas and coal. So, indirectly, the EV still required natural resources to generate energy for the power source. In order to truly reduce the usage of fossil fuel, replacing the main energy to renewable energy is still the main section we need to focus. Imaging if everyone using EV in Malaysia, then the energy demand increase, more fuel, natural gases will be burned to generate sufficient energy to meet up daily usage demand. Then, at this point, how can we justify the usage of EV is doing good deed for the environment?

EV Shaping the future

At the moment, EV industry still in exploring and started to bloom in Malaysia market. As the price of these technologies are remain high, it is not a common transport vehicle that can be owned by everyone in Malaysia yet. Instead of blindly following technology trend, the government or the related technology sector should focus on other type of renewable energy, reduce the reliability of natural resources for power supply.

If you have some thought on the EV development in Malaysia, you may drop an email to me anytime via email, chchai@cadcam.com.my

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