This text first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on Could 26, 2025 – June 1, 2025
When HiiVolt co-founder and CEO Dr Jay Jayabalathilagam noticed that Malaysia’s automotive sector was evolving in direction of hybrid and electrical autos (EVs), he noticed a possibility to capitalise on the shift in market demand through the use of his data of battery regeneration to breathe new life into hybrid automobile batteries.
“After we moved into the automotive business, we checked out hybrid and electrical autos. We knew that the know-how was the identical. It was all in regards to the secondary batteries — nickel-metal hydride, absorbed glass mat (AGM) and lithium. These had been the developments within the battery vertical,” he says.
HiiVolt’s concentrate on battery refurbishment started in 2019. Jay determined to use his expertise in industrial battery refurbishment and regeneration simply because the hybrid automobile market in Malaysia started to develop. This gave the corporate technical experience and a stable understanding of battery operations.
The similarities between industrial programs and hybrid batteries eased the transition, permitting HiiVolt to develop a battery life-extension resolution with out utilizing chemical compounds. As a substitute, it employed pulse know-how, knowledge analytics and technical diagnostics to reverse the chemical degradation in batteries.
“Our evaluation proved that batteries can last more — as a result of when the producer (makes) the battery, it may well final about 15 to twenty years. However the lifespan of the battery is decreased by the climate, driving circumstances and recharging mechanisms,” says Jay.
By refurbishing hybrid batteries utilizing this strategy, HiiVolt can lengthen battery life by one other three to 5 years — chopping down on each waste and price.
Hybrid battery programs differ from one model to a different, and no two batteries are precisely the identical, he says. Due to this fact, HiiVolt focuses on well-liked hybrid fashions in Malaysia resembling these by Lexus, Toyota, BMW and Honda.
In keeping with Jay, these fashions sometimes include a five-year guarantee. “After we refurbished or changed the hybrid batteries for them, the price was solely half of what the service centre was charging,” he says.
Used-car house owners had been particularly affected by the excessive price of changing hybrid batteries. HiiVolt addressed this problem by gathering discarded batteries, refurbishing them and providing them at decreased costs.
Because the enterprise continued to develop, Jay recognised that even refurbished batteries may very well be financially out of attain for some customers throughout and after the financial downturn brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. This prompted the corporate to take a brand new course, alongside its battery refurbishment service.
“Our evaluation proved that batteries can last more … However the lifespan of the battery is decreased by the climate, driving circumstances and recharging mechanisms.” – Jay (Photograph by HiiVolt)
Providing prolonged guarantee
As HiiVolt delved deeper into the hybrid market, Jay and his staff recognized a major hole within the ecosystem — an absence of post-warranty battery assist.
Whereas hybrid automobile warranties sometimes final round eight years, the batteries themselves are inclined to have a shorter lifespan of 5 years. After this era, many homeowners face pricey repairs or replacements.
To deal with this, HiiVolt launched a completely digitalised prolonged guarantee platform for hybrid batteries by way of its web site. The prolonged guarantee provides one other three years and is obtainable to all hybrid automobile house owners, no matter whether or not they bought the battery from HiiVolt.
Clients merely want to enroll on-line and submit their automobile particulars to obtain a digital guarantee certificates together with a service schedule. This schedule and the preliminary service double as a battery well being examine.
Jay says the service schedule is simple — each six months, with all prices included within the package deal.
“In our programme, the value for the battery service and well being examine and repair is included within the guarantee package deal. You don’t need to pay further. That is to make sure that the hybrid battery is in good situation,” he provides.
This mannequin permits HiiVolt to assist its clients even earlier than any battery failure happens, decreasing long-term prices and uncertainty. There are additionally no restrictions on battery age or mileage.
“Whereas this carries extra danger, it additionally meets a vital want in Malaysia’s massive used-car market, particularly as hybrid autos act as a transitional step in direction of full EV adoption,” says Jay.
The programme is supported by HiiVolt’s proprietary know-how and is licensed beneath Malaysia’s MyHijau inexperienced know-how initiative.
Increasing into full EV batteries
Anticipating future demand, HiiVolt is already laying the groundwork to develop its prolonged guarantee service to EV batteries, says Jay. “We’re already in talks and doing (analysis and improvement) for the EV battery prolonged guarantee system past the eight years,” he provides.
The technical distinction between hybrid and EV programs is critical. Whereas hybrids use smaller paired battery cells alongside inner combustion engines, EVs rely solely on large-capacity batteries. Thus, servicing EVs requires bigger services, extra superior diagnostics and specialised gear.
A key impediment for HiiVolt is the dearth of entry to used EV batteries. Jay says the corporate is at the moment lobbying the Division of Surroundings to reclassify used hybrid and EV batteries as recoverable belongings, not waste.
He argues that these batteries, at the moment designated for disposal by service centres and producers, may as an alternative be reclaimed, refurbished and reused — minimising environmental affect and decreasing reliance on imported replacements. “It’s an entire ecosystem that we are attempting to construct proper now,” he provides.
With HiiVolt, Jay hopes to collaborate with automobile sellers, ministries and automotive ecosystem gamers to create a round economic system mannequin that helps customers, cuts waste and facilitates the adoption of latest power autos (NEVs).
His efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. HiiVolt was named a finalist in Alliance Financial institution’s BizSmart Problem Accelerator Version in November final yr, due to its prolonged hybrid battery guarantee programme.
Trying forward, Jay plans to develop HiiVolt’s infrastructure nationwide by the top of this yr and transfer into EVs inside three years — simply as the primary batch of EV battery guarantee begins to run out.
In the end, his imaginative and prescient for HiiVolt is obvious — “to determine that drivers don’t have anything to fret about when shopping for hybrid vehicles, whether or not model new or second hand”.
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