Melaka to get RM1 bln investment for nation's first electric car assembly plant

MELAKA: Melaka is set to receive an investment totalling RM1 billion by Bumiputera company, Fieldman EV Sdn Bhd to develop the country's first electric car assembly plant.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali said the plant will be constructed on 200-hectare land at the Elkay Lipat Kajang Industrial Area in Jasin.

He said the company also obtained exclusive rights to distribute electric vehicles (EVs) in Malaysia and the Southeast Asian regional market for right-hand drive vehicles from China's automotive company, Changan Automobile Corp.

"Fieldman EV intends to launch EVs and is interested to build an assembly plant in Melaka, together with local companies by utilising Changan's technology.

"The state government welcomes this cooperation which will provide long-term benefits by further strengthening the development of the automotive industry in Melaka," he told reporters at Kompleks Seri Negeri in Ayer Keroh today.

In an earlier event, Fieldman EV's executive director Razmi Shah Othman handed over an electric car and electric rickshaw to the state government.

Sulaiman said the factory would also provide 5,000 new job opportunities as well as create a downstream industry among the local automotive industry.

He also believes that the plant would enable the transfer of EV technology which is expected to further boost Melaka's economy.

Established in 2010, Fieldman Sdn Bhd, which is involved in the palm oil, plastic manufacturing and commodity trading industries, had set up a subsidiary, Fieldman EV, in 2018 to hunt for renewable energy resources that can be brought into Malaysia.

Fieldman EV has made a long-term plan (2018-2026) to spearhead the development of electric car technology and assembly in Melaka.

-- BERNAMA