Tech start-up EZ-Charge has entered into a formal Memorandum of Understanding with Mobility Werk Group Sdn Bhd – the Malaysian subsidiary of the global corporation MW Group – for its advanced electric vehicle (EV) charging units to be manufactured, installed and operated in-market, under licence.
The contract will see the Bicester-based company’s technology form the backbone of a new electric vehicle charging network in Malaysia. The deal could be worth tens of millions.
The collaboration will see EZ-Charge’s hardware and software, including its electricity load-sharing technology, become central to Malaysia’s rapidly expanding electric vehicle ecosystem.
This expansion has been identified as a priority by the Malaysian government as part of its National Automotive Policy (NAP) and carbon-cutting targets set at the COP26 summit last year.
Dr Adham Baba, Malaysian government’s Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, said that the partnership would make EV charging stations available across Malaysia, creating a network that will support mass migration from internal combustion engine vehicles to all-electric cars, trucks and buses.
Phil Shadbolt OBE, EZ-Charge founder and CEO, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be partnering in such a massive and prestigious project and one that will totally transform the viability, usability and sustainability of electric vehicles in Malaysia.
“It’s a country of more than 32 million people and so the benefits this project delivers could be huge, not only in terms of carbon reduction, but also in terms of things like local job creation, economic regeneration and skills training.”
“From the point of view of our business, this deal has already brought us lots of international attention and other countries and governments are reaching out to us to replicate the Malaysian project in their own markets.”
Zulkefli Kasim, Mobility Werk Group Executive Chairman, said: “We identified EZ-Charge as our technical partner and believe our partnership will help us to realise the development of EV in the automotive industry in Malaysia.
“We were impressed that EZ-Charge is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zeta Group – a company with more than 30 years of experience in smart electronic solutions innovation and has credibility in the development of renewable energy.”
Dr Adham Baba, Malaysian government’s Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, said: “We intend to make the development of charging stations cheaper compared to overseas.
“With localised manufacturing and technology development, we believe in developing this technology as well as providing talent in the end-to-end process of, design, testing, prototype, commissioning.
“Not only are we able to develop our own EV technology and components, we also want Malaysia to be a hub for EV supply components. In order to be a leader in EV component supply, we need international networking due to supply chain and network.”
