Malaysia Starts Preparing for the Era of Driverless Cars, Targeting Level 3 by 2030

JAKARTA - The Malaysian government targets that Level 3 autonomous vehicle capabilities can be realized by 2030. To achieve this target, the automotive industry in the country is asked to start preparing for the transformation to the era of driverless vehicles.

Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry of Malaysia, Sim Tze Tzin, said that discussions on autonomous vehicles are not yet a major focus in his country. However, he assessed that discussions related to the technology must be immediately started so that Malaysia does not lag behind the development of the global automotive industry.

"I think this is where the conversation needs to start because we are still too focused on the manufacture of traditional vehicles, while Malaysia has not seriously discussed autonomous vehicles, which is something I would like to encourage," he said as quoted by Paultan, Tuesday, May 12.

He added that the Malaysian Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute or Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute will be tasked with building the foundation for the development of autonomous vehicle technology in the country.

According to Sim, the implementation of autonomous driving systems will trigger major changes in various industrial sectors. Starting from semiconductor design, software development, sensor production, to the improvement of road infrastructure. Therefore, the government also wants to encourage local companies to be able to become suppliers of chips, sensors, and software that support these technologies.

"Autonomous driving involves significant changes across the ecosystem. Car manufacturing will require more chips, software, and sensors. Our local vendors need to improve their capabilities," he said.

He also highlighted the importance of local government support and public works departments in improving road conditions, traffic signs, and other supporting facilities so that the autonomous vehicle ecosystem can run optimally.

Sim assessed the development of autonomous vehicles in the United States as a real picture of the acceleration of the technology. He said the implementation of autonomous vehicles in the Uncle Sam's country is growing rapidly, from only about four cities last year to about 40 cities this year, and is expected to increase by another 60 cities next year.

"Although we work hard to catch up with current technology, we must not forget what is to come. I believe the true future of mobility is autonomous driving. If we only focus on today, we will always chase after others. But if we start building the foundation for autonomous technology now, Malaysia can lead the region," he said.

Based on the classification from SAE International, autonomous vehicle technology is divided into Levels 0 to 5. Level 0 means that all vehicle control is still carried out by the driver, while Level 5 refers to a vehicle that can operate completely without human intervention in all conditions.

Meanwhile, Level 3 automation allows vehicles to drive themselves in certain situations. However, drivers are still required to be on standby and can take control at any time if necessary.

Malaysia itself actually started exploring this technology a few years ago. In November 2020, the local government set up the first autonomous vehicle test lane on the public roads of the Cyberjaya area.

The approval to use the lane was granted a month later, and eMoovit Technology became the first company to obtain permission to conduct autonomous vehicle testing at the location.