The first EVs sold in Malaysia were from Nissan and Mitsubishi

With the exception of the Nissan LEAF, Mazda MX-30 and Lexus RZ, there are no other Japanese EV models in the Malaysian market. While all the Japanese carmakers do have EVs, they have not offered them in Malaysia, preferring to focus on hybrid electric vehicles which can sell in larger volumes.

However, Japanese EV models were on sale in the market 13 years ago, with the original Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi i-MiEV being the first. Both models were also EV pioneers as the world’s first mass-produced fully electric vehicles that were commercialised and offered for sale in many markets.

Had it not been for the government’s exemption of duties for electrified vehicles (including hybrids) for 3 years to show its commitment to reducing Malaysia’s carbon footprint, perhaps the EVs might not have been sold as their prices would have been high and unattractive.

As it is, back then, EVs were much more expensive due to the new technology as well as initially low volumes. Without taxes, the LEAF could be priced at RM168,800 while the i-MiEV was RM136,000.

Nissan LEAF
EVs were so new then, not only to Malaysians but most of the world too. Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) understood that and decided to do its part by having a campaign to educate the Malaysian public about EVs and their benefits. Taking a long-term view, ETCM felt that EVs could eventually become mainstream cars. Being associated with these vehicles of the future early could be advantageous later on.

At that time, Nissan did not have any plans to introduce the LEAF in this region, so ETCM’s initiative was entirely its own. It funded the ‘Journey to Zero Emissions’ campaign on its own and even set up one of the first public charging stations in Malaysia.

After the duty-free period ended, the price of the LEAF was bumped up by about RM20,000 as the high taxes for completely built-up (CBU) vehicles were imposed. The price became around RM180,000 which was unattractive and sales pretty much ended.

It would only be 9 years later, when Nissan introduced the second generation of the LEAF, that the model was considered for introduction in ASEAN. The automaker was encouraged by findings of a survey in 2017 which showed that 37% of respondents were willing to consider an EV as their next car.

The second generation was introduced in 2019 and while the government did not give full tax exemption on EVs at that time, it still gave a small incentive in the form of lower excise duties of 10% for such vehicles. This put the price of the LEAF at RM188,888, which was still high but ETCM nevertheless did its best to popularise it.

The LEAF is still part of the Nissan range in Malaysia and the upgraded version launched in 2023 has a duty-free price of RM168,888. ETCM also offers it under a subscription plan (which does not require a downpayment) for RM1,888 a month.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV
Like ETCM, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) also introduced the i-MiEV because there was the duty-exemption for 3 years. Mitsubishi Motors was selling the EV in a number of markets, but Malaysia was not in its marketing plan.

The model made its debut in Japan in 2009, slightly earlier than the Nissan LEAF so it was the first mass-produced EV in the world. Including the Citroen C-Zero and Peugeot iOn which were rebadged models of the i-MiEV, the total volume of 10,000 units between 2009 and early 2011 made the model the first EV to sell more than 10,000 units. The achievement was listed in the Guinness World Records.

MMM started importing the i-MiEV in early 2012 and promoted it during the year, with the official sales launch taking place in March 2013. During 2012, it carried out a lot of testing to ensure that the car would not have problems in local conditions.

Charging stations were virtually non-existent then so charging was done using the household power sockets which was, of course, very slow. A MMM team bravely drove an i-MiEV to the Genting Highlands resort and when they reached the top at 1,800 metres, they had to recharge the battery. They did so at the Starbucks outlet and it took quite some time.

On the return journey, with a lot of downhill stretches, they benefitted from regenerative braking which recovered some energy during braking adding to the battery charge level.

The i-MiEV was smaller (but about 200 kgs heavier) than a Perodua Myvi and the 16 kWh lithium-ion battery had a range of just 160 kms.

Like the LEAF, the i-MiEV did not sell in any meaningful numbers in Malaysia. However, the operator of the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge (2^nd Penang bridge) acquired a small fleet which was used for patrols along its 24 kms.

Perhaps the appearance of these two EVs was just too early as back then; not only were Malaysians not interested in EVs but it was the same elsewhere. Some governments were offering incentives to buyers to help reduce the purchase costs but there was no big push yet. China had just started directing its auto industry to focus on electrification so there was no export push like today.

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