The Government has always supported the development of new technologies including “battery-swapping” which will help accelerate the development of the EV industry for electric motorcycles which is in line with the Government’s goal to develop the electric vehicles (EV) ecosystem on the whole.
Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Deputy Minister Liew Chin Tong said this in his verbal reply to a question raised by Lee Chean Chung [Petaling Jaya] in the Dewan Rakyat today (Oct 31) in relation to what was the medium-term plan for technology development into battery-swapping for electric motorcycles in Malaysia and would MITI explore strategic collaboration with industry players in neighbouring countries such as Oyika Pte Ltd (Singapore) and Gegoro (Taiwan) to develop the ecosystem sustainable battery-swapping industry.
Liew said the government, through the Malaysian Standards Department (JSM), has been tasked with developing one national standard
for battery-swapping that includes concerns over its function, safety aspects and impact towards the environment along with the operational aspects of battery-swapping technology to ensure that the technology developed and used is safe, in one format and of quality as well as environmentally friendly in addition to supporting the development of the electric motorcycle industry in the country.
“Development of this standard involves various Government agencies such as the Road Transport Department (JPJ), Automotive Institute, Robotics and IoT Malaysia (MARii), as well as industry players especially manufacturers electric motorcycles and institutions of higher learning.
Standards development has to take into account the international level set by the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and United Nations Regulation (UNR).”
This battery-swapping standard is expected to completed and gazetted in 2024, Liew told the August House, adding , NanoMalaysia Berhad (NMB) as the agency below The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) has held discussions with Motorcycle and Scooter Assemblers and Distributors Association of Malaysia (MASAAM) in efforts to standardise battery-swapping technology among industry players to ensure that the battery used is suitable for cross-platform purposes.
The discussion also involves the participation of industry players such as RydEV and Mo Batteries. Discussion are now underway towards forming a consortium to realise the standardisation goal of Battery Storage System (BSS) technology.
Liew added, the government always explores opportunities for strategic cooperation involving the involvement of EV industry players from any country and aspects related to battery-swapping. Oyika has already entered the Malaysian market officially through RydEV, which is one of the entities under Yinson Greentech.
“To encourage and increase the use of electric motorcycles in the country, the Government under Budget 2023 introduced the Promotion Scheme for the Use of Electric Motorcycles with a rebate of up to RM2,400. This scheme aims to help petrol-driven motorcycle users to switch to electric motorcycles,” he said.
“I would like to clarify that the Government, through the National EV Task Force (NEVTF) and National EV Steering Committee (National EV Steering ommittee – NEVSC) will continue to be committed in drafting and implementing programs and initiatives to move the agenda
for the development of the country’s EV industry, which includes electric motorcycles and views and suggestions frorn all stakeholders are always welcomed by the MITI, Liew added.
