Market sentiment of electric vehicles in Malaysia

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are gaining traction globally due to their potential for energy efficiency and emission reduction. In Malaysia, where the government is actively promoting EV adoption, market sentiment plays a critical role. Most existing studies on EV market sentiment in Malaysia rely heavily on survey-based methods, which may be limited in both scale and objectivity. This study applies text mining techniques, specifically topic modelling and sentiment analysis to examine Malaysian consumers' attitudes toward EVs using user comments from a major national automotive information website. A total of 9,618 user comments between January 2023 and February 2024 were analysed using LDA/VADER. The results indicate that "price" is the most frequently mentioned keyword, while key discussion topics include market trends, government incentives, battery and charging, and product features. Sentiment analysis suggests that consumers hold a mildly positive or curious attitude toward EVs. These findings provide practical insights for policymakers seeking to enhance market engagement and accelerate EV adoption in Malaysia.