Meeting of minds: Dr Wee meeting with (from left) Liu, Zhang and Wang at his office in Putrajaya. — Photo courtesy of Dr Wee’s Facebook page
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia needs to conduct more studies and implement new policies to allow for better development of the electric vehicle (EV) sector, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
Dr Wee, who received a courtesy call from Alpha Ess Co Ltd chief executive and co-founder Alfred Wang, said with EVs becoming more prevalent globally, it was inevitable for EVs to become mainstream in Malaysia.
“Wang and I exchanged views on EV development in Malaysia and the world. I shared that for the EV sector to flourish in Malaysia, we need to look into implementing new policies that address the various issues surrounding EV,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
Dr Wee said the country lacked the infrastructure for the development of the EV sector currently.
“With the emphasis for various transportation sectors to go green, it is time for us to conduct in-depth studies on the implementation plans of introducing more charging stations in public places, including shopping malls and highways, and on the disposal of old batteries.
“I believe Alpha ESS, as an energy storage solution company and service provider, will be able to share its vast experience in this relatively new industry with us,” he said.
Also present at the meeting were Alpha ESS vice-president and co-founder Zoe Zhang, and its general manager for Malaysia Arthur Liu.
Meanwhile, in another Facebook post, Dr Wee said a detailed guideline on the use of micromobility vehicles will be prepared by the Town and Country Planning Department (PlanMalaysia).
Dr Wee said this after a dialogue session with the association of importers and operators of micromobility vehicles at his office in Putrajaya, where he received several good suggestions that would be considered involving the use of such vehicles.
“Among them involved having the micromobility vehicle associations and operators in the ministry joint committee, besides continuing the safety awareness campaign for the public, especially users of micromobility vehicles,” he said.
Also present during the dialogue were Micromobility Electric Industry Association (MEMI) president Mike Lee; MEMI vice-president Harry Wong, Micromobility Vehicle Association president Edi Khushairy Ab Kadir, Tryke Transportation Sdn Bhd head of operations Vinod Menon, OoGyaa Mobility Sdn Bhd founder Humayun Razzaq, Ride Beam Public Service Manager Diana Taty and Malaysian Micromobility Users Association president Eric Lee.
Dr Wee emphasised that the government had never banned the use of such vehicles in Malaysia, but is regulating them so that the vehicles will be operated in a safe and controlled environment.
“The ban only applies on the road to preserve the safety of the public. In fact, this decision was taken after taking into account the views of various stakeholders, including local authorities.
“I am very concerned about road safety and want our roads to be safe for all users. Our country recorded a high number of road accidents. Up to 67% of the road accidents here involve motorcycle users,” he said.
He also expressed his commitment and hoped to continue working with consumer associations, micromobility vehicle operators, PlanMalaysia, and the Housing and Local Government Ministry to ensure public safety.
On April 26, Dr Wee announced that micromobility vehicles such as mopeds, personal mobility devices, and personal mobility aids were not allowed on public roads.
