KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is on track to set up 10,000 electric vehicle charging units by next year but faces difficulties in installing them in rural areas.
Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the current battery-electric vehicles (BEV) charging units in the country are enough to serve 31,000 EV units.
“As of September 30, this year, a total of 3,171 electric charging units have been installed across the country.
“Of the number, 813 are direct current (DC) type charging units while 2,358 are alternating current (AC) charging units,” he told the Dewan Rakyat during Ministers’ Question Time session here on Wednesday (Oct 23).
The minister was replying to a question from Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (Barisan Nasional-Tampin) on the number of EV charging stations that are fully operational or currently being installed in the country.
According to the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC), Tengku Zafrul said the ratio between the current EV charging facilities and BEVs is one to nine.
He also added that the National EV Steering Committee (NEVSC) meeting on May 10 agreed to maintain the original target of installing 10,000 units of public EV charging facilities by the end of 2025.
“Of the total, the committee also has increased the target for DC-type EV charging facilities from 1,000 units to 1,500 units, while the target for AC-type EV charging facilities remains at 8,500 units,” he added.
Tengku Zafrul said the cost of constructing or installing public chargers, especially the DC or fast chargers, is high, especially in rural areas.
He said this issue has caused operators to face difficulties in developing public chargers for EVs in areas with low demand.
“To help address the issue of uneven distribution of public chargers between urban and rural areas, the government has conducted engagement sessions with local authorities.
“Additionally, the ministry has also engaged with highway concession companies, hypermarket chains, the Malaysian Shopping Malls Association, as well as the Hotel Association and the Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners to encourage relevant premises to be supported with public EV charging services,” he said.
