PRO-NET exchanged MoU with GENTARI at IGEM 2022

PRO-NET exchanged MoU with GENTARI at IGEM 2022

Proton New Energy Technology (PRO-NET) has officially announced their partnership through an exchanged MoU document with Gentari Sdn. Bhd., (GENTARI) the clean energy subsidiary of PETRONAS, at the International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM).

The ceremony sees Chief Executive Officer of PRO-NET, Zhang Qiang and Head of Clean Energy Solutions Transitions at PETRONAS, Shah Yang Razalli on behalf of GENTARI signing the documents.

According to a study into EV ownership, customers prioritise more advanced features namely vehicle’s connectivity, autonomous driving, and over-the-air (OTA) updates.

This also includes the customer's expectation to have a new sale and after-sale brand experience as the servicing needs for vehicles are different compared to traditional car buyers' needs.  

PRO-NET declares its consideration to have several options which involve traditional outlets, urban brand experience centres and the application of online portals to sell or lease vehicles.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of PROTON, Roslan Abdullah claims that 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,” he added.

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Today’s exchange of documents follows the General Distributorship Agreement (GDA) with smart brand (smart Automobile Company) in August and PRO-NET formation in September as another approach by PROTON to establish its presence and multiple national EV along with NEV space in the ecosystem. 

More to that, on top of PROTON’s collaboration with smart which aims to ensure that their EV offerings are on par with the usage profile of Malaysian EV buyers, PRO-NET and GENTARI will focus on developing 20 DC chargers in 2023.

The responsibility shared by both parties sees PRO-NET to build charging sites and power facilities while having GENTARI to be responsible for providing the charging infrastructure along operatorship solutions.

On a different note, the national carmaker invested in the field of NEVs by 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.

The initiative taken could help the government’s efforts to move Malaysia towards a knowledge-based economy and to be a regional epicentre for NEVs.

"Today's ceremony  with Gentari marks one aspect of PROTON's entry into the NEV market and opens up opportunities to collaborate with PETRONAS' clean energy subsidiary to contribute to the development of Malaysia's charging infrastructure." 

However, if we want a comprehensive business solution, PROTON must pay equal attention to other areas of the business’’ said Deputy Chief Executive Officer of PROTON, Roslan Abdullah. 

Today’s signing was witnessed by Datuk Seri Ir. Dr Zaini Ujang, Secretary General, Ministry of Environment and Water, Datuk’ Iskandar Bin Abdul Samad, Chairman, Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC), along with YM Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Petronas, and Roslan Abdullah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of PROTON.

[READ: GENTARI to install 25,000 EV charging points by 2030]

[READ:PROTON set up PRO-NET as a new subsidiary for latest energy vehicles]