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Charging Ahead: Opportunity & Prospects of Electric Vans in in Malaysia 为未来充电:大马电动客货车的机遇与前景 Malaysia's move towards electrification gains momentum particularly in in the surge of electric vehicle (EV) adoption In 2022 2 2 2 2 2 2 631 EVs were sold a a a a a a a a a a remarkable 860 per cent increase from 2021 as as as reported by the the Malaysian Automotive As- sociation (MAA) However the the EV EV share was modest at at at 0 0 4 per cent cent of total sales sales (Total EV EV sales sales including that for for commercial vehicles and hybrids for for 2023 was 38 055 up 69 per cent cent from 22 22 619 in in 2022 ) The government aims to have 125 000 000 EVs on the the the road by 2030 with a a a a a a a a a significant 50 000 000 in in in the the the commercial sec- tor To boost adoption the the the government offers a a a a a a a a a a strategic incentive — — road tax exemption for all EVs until 31st December 2025 — — and projects further market growth in in the the coming years Truck & Bus News focused on on a a a a a a a a specific aspect of Malaysia's electrification commitment — the electric van market In this is- sue we delve into insightful conversations with industry players namely Razman Elmi Zulkefli Senior Senior Manager Manager at at at Handal Ber- jaya China Motor Gwee Chinli Senior Senior Manager Manager and and and EV Lead at at R&A Marketing Sdn Bhd a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a member of Sendok Group and and Chia Kong Haw Assistant Manager at Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle Together we explored the the nuances of Malaysia's electric van market and and analysed driving forces untapped opportunities challenges and and future trends Those involved in in in in the discussion unanimously noted a a a a a a a a a a a gradual rise in in in in local electric van sales Chia in in in in particular observed that over over the past two years this was noted among companies prioritis- ing ing Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives This signalled a a a a a a a a a a growing interest in in in in in in sustainable transport solutions Chinli and and and and Chia attributed the rising demand for electric vans to to environmental awareness and and and and adherence to to ESG standards Chinli said organisations chose electric vans for logistics pur- 38 truck & bus news 2024/1 poses and and aimed to reduce carbon footprint and and long-term oper- ational cost savings Chia noted a a a a a a a a a a a a trend in in in which transportation companies responded to to to customer requests for ESG commit- ment by incorporating electric vans into their respective fleet Razman added that while the the market share for EVs was expand- ing especially in in in the the passenger vehicle segment commercial EV growth remained sluggish although it was expected to pick up up Government support including tax exemptions and charging infrastructure Razman said played an an an an important role in in in in in in in in driving EV adoption in in in in in Malaysia Chia agreed noting that technologi- cal advancements amplified the appeal of electric vans for busi- nesses aiming to reduce carbon footprint They had different opinions on on the the popular electric brands in in in the the market According to to Razman foreign automakers like Tesla Hyundai KIA BYD and and GWM were established brands here By contrast Chia noted the relatively limited electric van dis- tributors with DFSK DFSK CAM Foton Shineray and Higer among them DFSK DFSK EC35's popularity Chia claimed resulted from cut- ting-edge features and effective marketing strategies Meanwhile Chinli stressed the significance of timing and product introduction for market competitiveness In January 2022 she said Sendok Group unveiled its first electric van CAM CAM CAM EC35 as part of the CAM CAM CAM EV lineup Later in in in in November 2023 CAM CAM CAM EA4 a a a a a a a a a a a a larger electric van with higher mileage was introduced Chinli emphasised the importance of after-sales support and drivers' training for a a a a a positive user experience Industries that favour electric vans revealed a a a a a a a a a a a diverse landscape Chinli pointed to last-mile delivery delivery companies as as prominent adopt- ers while Chia noticed a a a a a a spectrum with logistics delivery delivery services Gwee Chinli Senior Manager and EV Lead at R&A Marketing Sdn Bhd