Malaysia targeting Level 3 autonomous driving by 2030, industry should prepare – deputy MITI minister

Malaysia is aiming to achieve Level 3 autonomous driving capability by 2030, and the government has urged the automotive industry to begin preparing for the transition. According to deputy minister of investment, trade and industry Sim Tze Tzin, while the country has not started looking at the topic, there was a need to do so, as The Edge reports.

“I think this is where the conversation needs to begin because we are still too focused on manufacturing traditional vehicles, while Malaysia has yet to seriously start discussing autonomous driving, which is something I intend to push for,” he said, adding that the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) would be tasked with the groundwork for the initiative.

He said that because autonomous driving would require major changes across multiple sectors, including semiconductor design, software development, sensor manufacturing and infrastructure upgrades, the country is also looking to position local companies as suppliers of chips, sensors and software linked to autonomous driving systems.

“Autonomous driving involves significant changes across the entire ecosystem. Car manufacturing will require more chips, software and sensors. Our local vendors will need to upgrade their capabilities,” he said. He added that local authorities and the public works department (JKR) must also improve road conditions and supporting infrastructure, including road signs and related facilities, because it was an effort requiring the involvement of everyone.

Citing the rapid growth of autonomous driving in the United States, where the technology has expanded from about four cities last year to around 40 this year, with 60 more cities expected next year, Sim said the technology would eventually get here, and Malaysia must be ready for it.

As such, he said industry players have to begin planning beyond current automotive technologies and prepare for future mobility trends. “While we are working hard to catch up with today’s technology, we must not lose sight of what is coming next. I believe the true future of mobility is autonomous driving. If we focus only on today, we will always be chasing others. But if we start building the foundation for autonomous technology now, Malaysia can lead the region,” he said.

As defined by SAE International, autonomous driving is classified on a scale of Level 0, where the driver controls all functions, to Level 5, which represents full driverless capability in all conditions. Level 3 automation allows a vehicle to drive itself in specific conditions, but the driver must remain alert and be ready to take over control of the vehicle when required.

Programmes exploring the tech have come about in the past, but primarily from a pilot on-road evaluation viewpoint. Back in November 2020, the government defined its first autonomous vehicle test routes on public roads in Cyberjaya, with approval coming a month later in December. eMoovit Technology was the first company to receive approval for use of the routes for its autonomous vehicle testbed.

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