Reports suggest that NanoMalaysia (NMB), a company under the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), will be starting small-scale production of a homegrown graphene-enhanced lithium-ion battery for use in electric vehicles (EVs).
Developed at a cost of around RM20 million (almost US$5 million), the battery will be produced at Gigafactory Malaysia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NanoMalaysia. Incorporated in 2011.
“We are on the verge of operationalizing Malaysia’s first local battery technology production factory,” said Rezal Khairi Ahmad, CEO of NanoMalaysia. He described the project as “likely the first of its kind in ASEAN. No other countries in the region are producing homegrown battery tech.”
Rezal also explained that the battery uses a nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) chemistry - not lithium iron phosphate (LFP) - but incorporates graphene instead of graphite to increase energy storage capacity by up to three times.
The graphene-enhanced battery is projected to have a driving range of up to 640 km per charge (no mention of battery capacity of vehicle type), Rezal said, adding that it also supports fast charging. It is said to be most suitable for EVs with energy densities above 200 Wh/kg. NanoMalaysia has received orders from one local organization for a 25-kWh battery, with other deals being “refined and finalized.”
Following the start of small-scale production sometime this month, NanoMalaysia is aiming to progress to megawatt-hour (MWh) capacity output as early as September 2026. No pricing was provided but it is said local production will help lower the total cost of an EV since there’s no additional costs arising for import tax, logistics and storage.
Production of the battery will take place at a factory spanning 15,000 square feet in Suria Industrial Park in Sepang. At full scale, the factory will be able to produce around one MWh of battery capacity annually, equivalent to 92,000 battery cells.
NanoMalaysia will also be looking to establish a strategic partnership with Indonesia for the supply of nickel for its battery factory, with potential export markets for the produced batteries being Indonesia, South Korea, India and Pakistan. Recycling end-of-life batteries is also in the works under to ensure raw material security.
