PETALING JAYA: An environmental group has lodged an official complaint with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) over alleged false advertising by a multinational car manufacturer.
RimbaWatch alleged that the company had breached regulatory stipulations by claiming that its electric vehicles were “zero-emissions”.
According to RimbaWatch director Adam Farhan, the company had allegedly “not adequately communicated” to consumers that the energy used to power the vehicle in Malaysia would be from a fossil fuel-powered grid.
It would only be “zero-emissions” if it was powered by off-grid renewable sources, such as solar panels, he said.
Adam said that claiming a vehicle has zero emissions because the energy it uses is produced elsewhere is the same as claiming a house or mall has zero emissions because the energy they use is produced elsewhere.
“It is irresponsible for any company to advertise zero emissions personal mobility without giving them the full story, such as that the consumer would need to purchase a solar panel system to ensure zero-emission EV charging,” Adam said in a statement.
He said such claims could mislead consumers into purchasing a product that doesn’t deliver on its promises.
“It also lulls consumers into a false sense of climate security, where they think they can own a personal vehicle without having any impact on the climate,” he added.
Adam said data has shown that the production and manufacturing of an electric vehicle (EV) has about double the carbon footprint of a petrol-powered car.
A typical EV battery pack requires more than seven tons of CO2 emissions to produce, he added.
FMT has reached out to the car manufacturer for a comment. - FMT
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