The introduction of electric vehicles (EV) in Malaysia is still in its early stages and it can be seen that its registration has increased in our country over the past year. This is driven by vehicles not subject to sales and road tax until the end of 2025. But in more mature markets such as the United States and Australia, almost half of EV owners now want to return to internal combustion fuel (ICE) vehicles.
In a study conducted by consulting firm McKinsey, as many as 49% of EV owners in Australia who answered the questionnaire wanted to return to ICE while in the United States it was 46%. The reason given is that the charging infrastructure in the country is insufficient causing their long distance driving to be affected since owning an EV. The issue of range anxiety is a common one heard among EV owners given the lack of existing battery technology.
Country % Returning to Using ICE Vehicles
Australia 49%
United States 46%
Brazil 38%
China 28%
Germany 24%
Norway 18%
France 18%
Italy 15%
Japan 13%
But it's not all negative for EV owners. In Japan, Italy, France, and Norway less than 20% said they would return to ICE vehicles. Better charging infrastructure and lower long-distance driving requirements mean no post-purchase regrets.
It must be admitted that EV charging infrastructure in Malaysia is still at an unsatisfactory level. There are too few chargers on the main highway, especially on the route to the East Coast. Malaysian EV users are still in the honeymoon phase enjoying their new vehicles. If the charging situation in the country does not change in the near future, many may regret it like in America and Australia.