KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 – Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (Perodua) is making significant strides towards introducing its inaugural electric vehicle (EV) model with the unveiling of its first working prototype, the MyVI Conversion.
President and chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Ahmad said the company is confident that it will be able to roll out its first EV model by the end of next year.
“We try to do it by the end of 2025, as the development is maybe less than three years.
“What I can say here is that the price will not be more than RM100,000 and no less than RM50,000. We have exciting plans in store that will be revealed in due time,“ he told reporters at the Malaysia Autoshow 2024 on Tuesday.
He said the EV prototype, comprising the power bench, power converter, and overall styling, is primarily made in Malaysia, while the power conversion technology is a collaborative effort with an Australian company.
“The power bench development is done by us (Perodua) by partnering up with three local universities – Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Universiti Kuala Lumpur and Universiti Putra Malaysia to fully understand this technology and make it our own,” he added.
The collaboration, which began in September 2022, saw Perodua and the three universities working together to develop an EV powertrain from the ground up, thus enhancing their expertise and capabilities in the EV field.
“This is a beginning for us, and we want to make this beginning as Malaysian as possible,” Zainal Abidin said.
In its quest to bring its first EV product to fruition, Perodua emphasizes the development of local vendors, anticipating the participation of over 60 of them to support mass production.
“Hopefully by then, they will be ready to take up all the EV-related product development, not only for Perodua but also with other original equipment manufacturers,” he said.
The automaker is also mulling on expanding its infrastructure to accommodate the production of its upcoming EV model, either by building a new factory or seeking partnerships with other capable entities.
