PETALING JAYA: The transport ministry is planning to introduce “special” registration number plates for electric vehicles (EVs) in order to distinguish them from gasoline vehicles.
Minister Loke Siew Fook said distinguishable plates would help rescue workers and first responders in an event of an emergency, as saving persons from EVs required a different set of procedures.
“For instance, in the case of a fire, we can’t merely douse EVs with water. The fire department needs to follow special SOPs for extinguishing fires involving such vehicles,” Berita Harian quoted him as saying.
Loke said the fire and rescue department faced challenges in determining whether a vehicle was an EV or one equipped with internal combustion engines, based solely on their appearance.
Separately, he said a review of the tax structure for EVs was underway as the existing tax was much higher than gasoline vehicles.
“Under the Road Transport Act, the calculation formula for EV taxes is based on watts.
“Consequently, EVs are currently subject to higher costs than conventional cars based on engine capacity or cubic capacity,” he said.
Loke said the review of tax rates for EVs was aimed at encouraging greater adoption of such vehicles, which already enjoy an exemption from road tax until 2025. - FMT
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