Perodua and UTM partner in developing next generation EV

When the Malaysian National Car project began, there were virtually no automotive engineers from local universities or colleges because there were no courses then. However, that situation was addressed as universities geared up to provide the growing auto industry with skilled manpower.

Today, there are many colleges and universities with automotive-related courses and our Malaysian automakers collaborate with them as well. Recently, Perodua and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop the country’s next generation of electric vehicles (xEV).

The MoU includes a comprehensive package that would cover educating and training future engineers in developing new technologies relating to xEV.

“We look forward to exploring a future where Malaysia can develop its own xEV technology and its benefits be shared with our future generation,” explained Perodua President & CEO, Dato’ Sri Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

“With this MoU, Perodua is taking a step further from our original mandate from being a vehicle for technological transfer to becoming an entity that drives technological development,” he added.

Technology transfer has been important for the local auto industry to develop and grow. In its early years, Perodua received this technology transfer from its partner, Daihatsu Motor, and absorbed whatever it received to steadily develop its own capabilities.

The development of the first Myvi over 20 years ago saw the beginning of Perodua’s in-house vehicle development capabilities which kept growing to the point where it could develop a new model like the Bezza on its own.

Now it is embarking on developing its own EV, an approach that will position it to be more capable in future as it will own the technologies it develops and also have many in-house capabilities. The collaboration with UTM will see an exchange of knowledge on the current developments of various automotive technologies with emphasis on xEV.

“This collaboration’s underscores the importance of bridging the gap between academia and industry that can empower graduates with the skills and knowledge,” said Prof. Dr. Rosli Md Illias, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) of UTM.

The collaboration will empower UTM students and researchers while serving as a model for academia-industry partnerships, ensuring Malaysia remains competitive in the global automotive sector. The MoU highlights 6 key elements which are for both Perodua and UTM to jointly enhance the latter’s academic curriculum for its undergraduate in the field of engineering and other related courses.

Besides having the potential for other areas of cooperation that are mutually beneficial, this MoU also covers the establishment of a satellite lab at UTM’s main campus in Skudai, Johor.

TM and Perodua join forces to drive automotive transformation