Proton Holdings Bhd hopes the government will look into an incentive policy or offer rebate for electric vehicles (EVs) to spur Malaysians to move to EVs.
Its green tech department board project director Datuk Zainuddin Che Din said the cost of the vehicle ownership was among the challenges in the implementation of the EVs or hybrid vehicles initiatives.
He said the Green Project Team was working with the United Kingdom-based Frazer-Nash Research Ltd to develop the Proton Saga EV and Proton Exora Extended Range EV (REEV), expected to roll out in the first half of 2013.
Citing examples, he pointed out that the US government provided a US$7,500 tax credit, the Chinese government provided subsidies of up to US$8,800 for the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles and UK Plug-in Car Grant offered a 25% discount up or up to a maximum 5,000 pounds for a new car.
He added that Proton had targeted to roll out the Exora REEV and Persona Electric Vehicles (EV) by 2013, and would likely spend about RM200mil until the end of the Fleet Test Vehicle (FTV) programme. Zainuddin said the amount was for the period between the project began in 2008 till 2012.
He said the national car maker had applied for a grant and the government had agreed to give.
“A grant was promised but we haven’t receive yet, so till then Proton will have to fork out its own money for the project. Once we receive the grant, only then we can offset it with the money spent,” he told Bernamaafter a media briefing on the progress of electrification plans for Proton cars.
Besides that amount, Zainuddin said Proton foresees that it would likely have to invest another 10% to 20% of the RM200mil for the next phase.
Exora REEV is a plug-in Hybrid model with an on-board charger and grid charging capability to charge the battery pack to offer the best fuel economy.
The Government is discussing with Tenaga Nasional Bhd on the probable charges. “Proton is facilitating the talks,” he said.
Lotus, Proton’s wholly owned subsidiary, has secured 10.4mil from the Regional Growth Fund Grants from the British government to help create job opportunities.
Meanwhile, its managing director Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said in Beijing that the new model to be introduced by Proton next year was not a replacement model for Proton Persona. He said the new model, tentatively called “P3-21A”, was a totally new car, with a new design and no carry-over from Persona at all.
Designed to meet legislative requirements of all possible markets, the world-class model would be powered by the Campro turbo engine, he said. Syed Zainal Abidin said the new model was also one of the two models to be produced in China as part of Proton’s collaboration with Beijing-based Hawtai Motor Group Ltd. The other model is Proton Exora.
