KUANTAN: Pahang is eyeing becoming a leading player in the electric vehicle (EV) assembly and manufacturing industry in the east coast region.
State Investment, Industries, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee chairman Datuk Mohamad Nizar Najib said EV vehicles have seen a dramatic increase in sales across the country with 10,663 cars sold in the first half of this year, compared to 4,409 units during the corresponding period last year.
"The surge in EV use marks a clear shift in the automotive market. States in the west part of the country including Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Melaka are a top choice for EV manufacturers to build assembly and manufacturing plants due to logistic factors.
"We want to see Pahang becoming a hub for EV manufacturing and assembly in the east coast and if logistics remains as the main criteria, then we can enhance the network with the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project connecting Port Klang and Kuantan Port," he said in his winding-up speech during the state assembly sitting at Wisma Sri Pahang today.
Meanwhile, Nizar said the state government through Perbadanan Setiausaha Kerajaan (PSK) Pahang and Volt Industries has collaborated to develop 50 EV charging stations across the state with an investment of RM250 million to reduce carbon emissions.
He said Volt Industries has introduced three designs of charging stations namely Volt Mega Station with 50 charging ports, Volt Station (12 charging ports) and Volt Express (two charging points) to be developed depending on the suitability of the area.
"Bentong was picked for the pilot project with 12 charging bays and the ground breaking ceremony for the project was carried out on Nov 18 this year. I was told suitable sites were identified in other districts and I hope the local authorities can provide full cooperation to develop the EV charging stations," he said.
On another matter, Nizar said several high-capacity solar farm projects under the Pahang State Development Corporation, Pahang Water and Energy Resources (PWE) and PSK are currently being implemented.
"I understand that these projects are awaiting the Large Scale Solar (LSS) bidding results including the Floating Solar Project at Chereh Dam here. The first windmill with a capacity of 2.2MW will be installed at Tanjung Batu in Pekan," he said.