KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — The government is developing a national standard for battery-swapping to help boost the development of the electric vehicle (EV) industry, said Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Liew Chin Tong.

He said this encompasses aspects such as safety, functionality and battery-swapping technology to ensure that the technology developed and used is safe, standardised, of high quality and environmentally friendly.

Liew added that the development of this standard involved various government agencies such as the Road Transport Department, the Malaysian Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute, as well as industry players, especially electric motorcycle manufacturers and higher education institutions.

"It takes into account existing international standards such as the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission and the United Nations Regulation.

"The national standard for battery swapping is expected to be ready and gazetted next year,” he said in reply to a question from Lee Chean Chung (PH-Petaling Jaya) di the Dewan Rakyat today.

According to Liew, NanoMalaysia Bhd has held discussions with the Motorcycle and Scooter Assemblers and Distributors Association of Malaysia and agreed to form a consortium to realise the goal of standardising the Battery Storage System (BSS) technology.

"The government is always exploring opportunities to establish strategic cooperation with the EV industry players from any country, including aspects related to battery-swapping.

"The government, through the National EV Task Force and the National EV Steering Committee, will remain committed to formulating and implementing programmes and initiatives to catalyse the country’s EV industry development agenda,” he added. — Bernama