Is MITI’s BEV Global Leaders Initiative Fair To Other Key Industry Players?

Earlier this year, the government introduced the Battery Electric Vehicle Global Leaders Initiative (BEV GLI). Championed by Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI), it initially appeared as a commendable move to rope in more investments into the country.

However, said initiative does have some flaws. There should have been some level of inclusiveness to benefit all existing players in the industry, hence fostering a highly competitive environment.

It's important to recognise that there are over 40 brands in the country that have actively contributed to economic growth, employment, TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training), parts localisation, and CKD (Completely Knocked Down) efforts for decades. While Tesla's entry is significant, it is essentially not fair for MITI to overlook the substantial contributions of these established brands.

One area where most existing players fell short is in their contribution towards the development of charging networks comparable to that of Tesla's (Tesla has committed to 50 Superchargers by 2025).

To address this, the government, specifically MITI, could perhaps extend similar benefits to other automotive brands present in Malaysia. As an example, they could mitigate EV charging infra development obstacles by collaborating with charging point operators (CPOs) like Gentari, ChargeSini, EVC, among others. Most CPOs are eager to secure public charging sites and offer Zero Capex modules plus profit-sharing to establish charging stations in various locations.

Given that most automotive brands already have established dealership and showroom networks nationwide, these locations could serve as ideal venues to set up charging stations. By working together with CPOs, car brands can strengthen their presence, increase profits, and offer more competitively priced EVs whilst also being part of the BEV Global Leaders Initiative.

Such an approach would contribute towards achieving the country's targeted goal of 10,000 EV chargers by 2025, all whilst ensuring fairness to every automotive brand in Malaysia and ultimately providing Malaysians with greater access to more affordable EVs.

Therefore, the existence of such collaborative effort involving active participation of all automotive brands, charging point operators, and the government to build a robust and accessible charging infrastructure in the country would eventually lead to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles for the benefit of all stakeholders and the nation as a whole.