Gov't targets 100,000 e-vehicles on road by 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: The government aims to have 100,000 electric vehicles traversing roads nationwide by year 2020, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapha Mohamed said.
He said presently, there were only 891 e-vehicles registered under the Road Transport Department (RTD), and that the government would continue encouraging the use of energy efficient vehicles due its advantages.
"One of the main reasons why we encourage it is because it would reduce carbon emission in the country, subsequently providing a better environment for all.
"Secondly, using e-vehicles would reduce maintenance cost, with savings of about RM5,000 each year compared to the conventional vehicles," he said during the launch of the Tree Movement (M) Sdn Bhd's Treeletrik E-Bikes (electronic motorcycles) at the Royale Chulan Hotel today.
Also present was Pahang Crown Prince Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
Mustapa urged more local companies to embrace and produce electronic vehicles in line with the government's aim to encourage the use of green technology to reduce carbon emission.
He said the government also expects some 5,000 e-bikes on the road by year end, compared to the current 100, following the launch yesterday.
Tree Movement chief executive officer Michael Yap said two of the 12 Treeletrik Eco-Bikes models, the T-90 and T-Cargo (a delivery bike-like model), are expected to be launched in the market by the end of September.
One new model will then be launched for every six months, for the remaining ten models.
Yap said the company expects to sell 11,000 units in the first twelve months, challenging the already busy existing motorcycle market.
He said besides being carbon-free and and with a low maintenance, another selling point for the bikes is that users would have the luxury of charging them at home through any plug points.
Yap added that Malaysians would also come to love the lineup of the bike models which come in a range of designs, with some depicting scooters, superbikes, and the traditional vespas.