SEREMBAN: The Ministry of Transport is proposing the introduction of special registration number plates for electric vehicles (EVs) to differentiate them from regular vehicles.
Its minister, Anthony Loke, said that the unique license plates are useful for identification purposes for safety and to facilitate rescue operations in the event of an incident.
"From a safety aspect, if an accident occurs, the handling of the (EV) vehicle is different from others. For example, in the case of a fire, water alone cannot be used. The Fire and Rescue Department has their own standard operating procedures (SOP)," he said during the launch of a 4S Service Center in Jalan Rahang today.
Anthony said that rescue teams, especially the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM), face difficulties in distinguishing between EVs and regular vehicles based solely on appearance.
"We want to introduce this registration number so that it can be differentiated," he said.
On a different matter, the ministry will also re-evaluate the tax structure for EV vehicles in Malaysia, which is higher compared to regular vehicles.
"Currently, according to the Road Transport Department (JPJ) regulations, there is a calculation formula for EVs based on wattage. So, in terms of calculation, EVs are currently more expensive than regular cars that use engine capacity (CC)," he said.
He added that the proposal to review the tax calculation for EVs aims to encourage their use in the country, despite the exemption from road tax until 2025. "That is our proposal (the ministry's) to promote the use of EVs, even though road tax is not currently imposed," he said.
