The facilities will be ready by the time Proton starts distributing smart cars

After signing a general distributorship agreement with Smart in August and forming its new energy vehicle subsidiary called Pro-Net in September, Proton today signed and exchanged the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) documents with Gentari, the clean energy subsidiary of Petronas as its next step towards establishing its presence in the local EV market. 

Initial plans are for the building of 20 DC chargers in 2023 where Pro-Net will be responsible to provide the charging location and power facilities while
Gentari will be responsible in providing the charging infrastructure and operatorship solutions.

Aside from the development of charging infrastructure, Proton is working closely with smart, via its subsidiary, to ensure their EV offerings match the usage profile of Malaysian EV buyers. At the same time, the company is also investing in growing its knowledge base in the field of NEVs by sending engineers to China to be trained in all aspects of the field.

“Today’s exchange of documents with Gentari addresses one piece of Proton’s move into the NEV market and opens opportunities to collaborate with the clean energy subsidiary of Petronas to contribute to the build-up of Malaysia’s charging infrastructure. However, Proton must pay equal attention to other areas of the business if we want to have a comprehensive business solution."

“For instance, as a national automotive brand Proton should spearhead the development of Malaysia’s EV ecosystem by investing in knowledge and expertise to address potential blind spots in areas where we have little experience. So, we are sending 16 engineers to China for six months to be trained in R&D, vehicle performance, homologation, and testing with the aim of eventually developing and selling a homegrown NEV." 

This is an important step in supporting the government’s efforts to move Malaysia towards a knowledge-based economy and to be a regional epicentre for NEVs,” said Roslan Abdullah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Proton.

“Addressing the needs of EV and NEV customers in Malaysia will require the participation of many parties and collaboration between automotive industry players. This is especially true with regards to a charging infrastructure that addresses the needs of users throughout the country and Pro-Net will offer customers a comprehensive charging solution.

“We also foresee NEV customers having a different set of motivating factors compared to traditional car buyers and as such, we want to create a new experience that caters to their needs. Therefore, PRO-NET will actively recruit new dealers and welcome proposals for an innovative brand and transactional experience,” added Roslan Abdullah.