Affordable Electric Powered Cars From Japan

My brother-in-law, Mr.Ooi owns a hybrid car. It’s a Honda 1300 cc vehicle.

The above cost over RM120,000. Hybrid vehicles run on both petrol and battery. When the car is caught in a jam or is in town, it runs on battery power. With such a car, petrol consumption then would be lowered.

Conventional cars run on petrol or diesel. However, many people in Malaysia cannot afford the price of a hybrid car.

With the world price of oil hovering at US80 per barrel, it’s a matter of time before the motoring public of Malaysia and Singapore will soon be facing an eventual petrol rise of at least 10 sen per liter very soon. It’s only a matter of time.

According to the Star newspaper report dated 2nd April 2010, “Japanese are said to be buying affordable electric cars”. In Tokyo, Japan’s first mass market electric cars went on sale at showrooms all across the nation as the futuristic technology becomes more affordable in the mid of burgeoning price war.

Mitsubishi’s 4 seater bubble-shaped “i-MiEV”, produced by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Japan’s 5th biggest automaker is said to cost USD30,500 (RM99,396) after government incentives are figured into the price of USD43,000 (RM140,033).

Some Japanese buyers, like proud i-MiEV buyer Chitoshi Okunuki, 72, who placed an advance order at a higher price in August, was extremely thrilled at Mitsubishi’s decision recently to cut the price of the electric car by some USD6,700 (RM21,819).

The above, the same day, rival car maker, Nissan Motor Company announced that it would be taking orders for its own electric car, code name the “Leaf”.

Okunuki was reported to have said he was extremely happy. “It’s so quiet and there are no emissions”.

With present day concerns for the environment growing, electric cars which is long and experimental technology used in Japan mainly by government related groups are suddenly becoming a rage among the Japanese public.

Price seems to be the major factor in determining the popularity of the electric car, especially in Japan. However, the price of electric vehicle will continue to see a decline as competition is expected to intensify.

It was further announced by Nissan, their electric car the Leaf will go on sale in December at a price of USD40,500 (RM131,891) but it is expected to fall to USD32,000 (RM104,260) following government incentives.

The Leaf is said to be even cheaper in the United States at over only USD25,500 (RM81,453) because the U.S. government is reported to be giving a USD7,500 (RM22,438) federal tax credit for electric cars.

My brother-in-law, Mr. Ooi, informed me when he purchased his Honda hybrid last December 2009, the car was selling around RM150,000. Due to poor sales, the government made a wise decision then to reduce taxation on the car enabling it to be sold finally at an affordable price of RM115,000 – RM120,000.

I hope more and more hybrid cars will be seen on our Malaysian roads in the near future.

Not only that, with the latest exciting news from Japan regarding the advent of electrics by both Mitsubishi and Nissan, it would not be in the too distant future when electric vehicles will soon make its appearance in Malaysia and Singapore.

Let’s go electric! The price of oil can rise for all we care!

By | 2012-09-21T22:28:44+08:00 May 11th, 2010|Driving In Malaysia|5 Comments

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5 Comments

  1. Driving School Gloucester May 12, 2010 at 4:46 am - Reply

    Impressive Post! Electric cars are 100% emission-free, having no polluting byproducts, therefore they are cleaner than hybrid automobiles. They secure their power from batteries, the sun or hydrogen fuel cells.

    • Cikgu Yap May 13, 2010 at 10:20 am - Reply

      Very glad you like the article regarding electric cars. Your many information on the above car is very enlightening. Thank you very much.

  2. cars March 25, 2011 at 12:27 am - Reply

    There are many reasons you can’t see electric cars on Malaysia road right now although it is common in UK and many other countries.

  3. jay prakash @ sp April 25, 2011 at 1:40 am - Reply

    ..first of all, it’s frustrating that m’sian cars have yet to meet international standards.. then comes the question when will we have good valued electric cars on m’sian roads?.. stop preaching abt environmental issues if the goverment can’t even take a wise decision in producing our own EV instead of copying foreign cars for local market..

    • Cikgu Yap May 1, 2011 at 2:12 am - Reply

      Please be patient regarding introduction of electric cars in Malaysia. A lot of things will have to be taken into careful consideration before its implementation.

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