China is the world's superpower in the production of batteries used in electric vehicles (EV). It is estimated that China now holds 70% of global EV battery production and they are also the world's leading technology innovators. To ensure that the local industry does not lag behind in following the global EV wave, Malaysia has also started producing its own designed batteries this year, according to a Nikkei Asia report.
The small-scale production of these EV batteries is carried out by Gigafactory Malaysia, a subsidiary of NanoMalaysia Bhd, under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). This makes Malaysia the first country in Southeast Asia to operate a local battery technology production plant.
The batteries developed are of the NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) type but are enhanced with graphene which can increase storage capacity by up to three times. Gigafactory is now targeting production at the megawatt-hour (MWh) scale starting as early as September 2026.
