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KUALA LUMPUR (March 30): 5E Resources Holdings Bhd, a scheduled waste firm, is trying to position itself as an early mover in the treatment and recycling of electric vehicle (EV) battery waste.
The firm has begun developing the facilities at its Pasir Gudang factory in Johor to handle EV battery waste, which it sees as a high-growth segment alongside rising EV adoption, according to chief operating officer Shankar Narasingam.
“When you are the first to approach customers and build capabilities in handling these wastes, you gain a first-mover edge,” Shankar told reporters following the company’s prospectus launch. “Over time, that allows you to scale and become more competitive on pricing.”
The focus comes amid a surge in EV adoption in Malaysia, driven by both domestic and foreign manufacturers. National carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd has introduced its e.MAS EV line-up, while Perodua is also advancing its electrification plans with the QV-E model.
Foreign automakers, particularly of Chinese brands such as BYD and Chery, have also expanded aggressively into Malaysia with growing sales networks and local assembly plans.
Handling EV battery waste presents both technical challenges and commercial opportunities, according to Shankar, as such batteries are highly reactive and require specialised processes to safely discharge and neutralise them before recovery of valuable materials.
“We have the technology to discharge EV batteries to a stable state,” he continued. “From there, we can process and recover valuable metals, which creates an additional revenue stream.”