Perusahaan Otomobil Elektrik (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (POEM) (lit. Electric Automobile Company (Malaysia)) is the name of a defunct Malaysian company that produced small electric vehicles in the late 1990s and early 2000s. POEM was established in 1996 as a joint venture between Tenaga Nasional and Frazer-Nash Research. The first POEM vehicle, the Eleksuria was touted as Malaysia's first electric vehicle upon its launch in December 1997. POEM electric vehicles were most notably used as personnel transporters during the 1998 Commonwealth Games and 2000 Summer Olympics. POEM had aspired to mass produce small electric vehicles for primarily business customers in domestic and export markets. Although prospects were reportedly positive, the joint venture quickly broke down and POEM quietly faded into obscurity by the mid-2000s. History Perusahaan Otomobil Elektrik (Malaysia) was one of several 'national car' companies set up in the 1990s under the purview of Mahathir Mohamad. The first of the national car companies, Proton was set up in 1983 as the result of the National Car Project, fast-tracked by Mahathir upon his ascension to the post of Prime Minister in 1981. Despite initial struggles and complications, Proton managed to firmly establish itself as a major player in the local market, and its success paved the way for a wave of new Mahathir-endorsed national car companies in the 1990s. Perodua commenced production of small economy vehicles in 1994, followed by USPD which produced non-mainstream Proton models in 1996, Modenas (1996) which produced motorcycles, Hicom (1997) and Inokom (1998) which produced trucks and vans, Bufori (1998) and TD Cars (1998) which produced retro classics, and POEM (1997) which produced small electric vehicles. Perusahaan Otomobil Elektrik (Malaysia) was incorporated in November 1996 as a joint-venture primarily between Malaysian state-owned electricity provider Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) (40%) and UK-based Frazer-Nash Research (FNR) (30%). The remaining 30% equity was divided between Musteq Industries, FIMA chairman Basir Ismail, and Composite Automotive Research (CAR), a company founded by former Proton general manager Nadzmi Salleh. It was reported that FNR approached TNB with the concept of electric vehicle production in 1996. Frazer-Nash Research is a subsidiary of Kamkorp, a company chaired by India-born, UK-based businessman Kamal Siddiqi. The close relationship between Mahathir Mohamad and Kamal Siddiqi was instrumental in the establishment of POEM. Under the original joint venture agreement, FNR had offered their electric vehicle technology, while TNB agreed to produce the end product using body components supplied