by ANIS ZALANI

THE Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) will be allocating a piece of land in Tanjung Malim, Perak, to be used for the Automotive High Technology Valley (AHTV) but no timeline has been set yet as to when it will be commercialised.

Minister Chang Lih Kang said despite not having a timeline, Mosti is still developing the AHTV which will occupy an area of approximately 404.68ha.

“No, we do not have the timeline yet but we are developing it because it needs 404.68ha of land owned by DRB-Hicom Bhd,” he said during a press conference at Mosti today.

Commenting on electric vehicle (EV), Chang said it is possible for Malaysia to achieve 38% of EV on the road, which is part of the National Energy Policy 2022-2040, before 2024.

“By 2040, we will be able to achieve the targeted EV vehicles on the road,” he said.

He added that Mosti will host two Chinese EV companies namely China Harmony Auto Holding Ltd and GAC Aion New Energy Automobile Co Ltd on April 8 for them to explore investment opportunities in the country.

The Malaysian delegation’s visit to China, led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, met with over 36 giant corporations including Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, one of the top 500 companies in the world.

“Apart from EV and data centres, we also discussed space technology and hydrogen, but as for hydrogen, no particular companies are showing interest as of now.

“Both leaders (President Xi Jinping and Anwar) expressed interest to work together in the science and technology, digital economy and precision farming field, as well as exploring cooperation with China on human vaccines,” he said.

Chang added that Malaysia has brought in around RM170 billion of investment which includes investment related to Mosti.

“The Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (Mranti), which is an agency under Mosti, also has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with TusStar Malaysia, a joint venture between Tus-Holdings Co Ltd and Brunsfield International Group which is part of Republic of China’s largest technology incubator work,” he said.

Chang also believed that the visit to China has helped to tighten the bond between both countries that share the same directions in the science and technology field.