CYBERJAYA, 05 FEBRUARY 2025 – The Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) successfully organized the NxGV Challenge 2025 Bootcamp on 3 to 4 February 2025 at the MARii Auditorium, gathering Malaysia’s brightest young minds to accelerate the development of the local electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem.
The NxGV Challenge is a collaborative initiative between MARii, Perodua, and SAE Malaysia designed to provide a comprehensive platform for students to develop engineering, project management, teamwork, and business skills in a real-world setting. This competition provides a dynamic platform for young innovators to design, build, and compete with small, open-wheel formula-style electric race cars. Additionally, they must submit and present journal publications under the SAE Malaysia platforms further contributing to research and development in Malaysia’s EV sector.
The two-day bootcamp served as an intensive training session, equipping the top 10 teams with specialized training in EV engineering, compliance with UNR/SAE standards and industry’s best practices. These teams were selected through a rigorous pitching process and will now proceed to the next stages of the competition.
The bootcamp welcomed participation from leading educational and industry institutions, including Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Institut Latihan Perindustrian (ILP) Jitra, ILP Kuala Lumpur, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Politeknik Port Dickson, Politeknik Kota Bahru, Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, Taylor’s University,
Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah, and Universiti Malaya.
The NxGV Challenge, which started in December 2024, spanning seven months will conclude with an exciting final event at the Malaysia Autoshow 2025 happening on 9th to 15th May at MAEPS. The competition features two key components: Static Events, where teams present their engineering designs, cost analysis, and business strategies, and Dynamic Events, where participants test their vehicles in acceleration, endurance, efficiency, and autocross trials.
Azrul Reza Aziz, CEO of MARii, said, “The NxGV Challenge aligns with National Automotive Policy 2020’s (NAP2020) vision to position Malaysia as a leader in NextGeneration Vehicles (NxGV), Mobility as a Service (MaaS), and Industry 4.0. By 2030, NAP2020 aims to develop 29,000 EV experts. The program will produce 20 EV research papers, train 100 participants in global EV standards, and create 15 job opportunities at Perodua. It strengthens collaboration across government, industry, and academia, keeping Malaysia competitive in the global automotive sector.”
Ts. Zulhaidi Jawi, Chairperson of SAE Malaysia, said, “This challenge can be considered a rejuvenation of SAE Malaysia’s past core activity, which is competition to boost applied knowledge among the automotive community and young talents. The society is delighted to have this opportunity alongside local powerhouses such as MARii and our main sponsor, Perodua. Other than that, we are delighted to also be playing a role in promoting Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the country through this activity.”
Industry leaders including MARii, Perodua, SAE Malaysia, Focus Applied Technologies Sdn. Bhd. and SIB MILI Sdn. Bhd., alongside esteemed academic institutions such as Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Politeknik Muadzam Shah, IKTBN Temerloh and Taylor’s University, will provide expert mentorship and guidance to participants
throughout the program, ensuring that they gain invaluable industry insights and handson experience that will shape their future careers in the EV sector.