Investment, trade, and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said operators face significant expenses when installing direct current (DC) chargers, which require substantial investments in both equipment and maintenance.
“Additionally, there are also challenges in seeking approval from the authorities for EV charging facilities, as the application, decision-making and approval processes would take more than six months.
“This is because (the decisions) involve various parties, including local authorities, the Energy Commission and Tenaga Nasional Bhd, each with their own procedures,” said Tengku Zafrul in a written parliamentary reply to Azli Yusof (PH-Shah Alam).
Azli had asked the minister to outline the challenges faced by the government in meeting its target of installing 10,000 EV charging stations nationwide by year-end, as well as measures taken to achieve it.
Tengku Zafrul said the government, through the town and country planning department (PLANMalaysia), has developed the Planning Guidelines for Electric Vehicle Charging Bays as the primary reference for all state and local authorities, as well as technical agencies.
These guidelines, he said, ensure that planning and project approval processes are clearer, uniform and better organised nationwide.
“With these (processes being) synchronised and standardised, approval periods for charging station installations could be reduced to 14 days, which helps speed up the development of public EV charging facilities,” he said.
The minister added that engagement sessions were regularly held with stakeholders, including the EV Charging Industry Association (EVCIA), to identify and address issues in the development of EV charging infrastructure.
Through these sessions, solutions will be provided to the government agencies to ensure that challenges faced by operators can be addressed effectively.
Apart from the EVCIA, the government also engages with highway concessionaires, hypermarket chains, shopping malls, and the hotel sector to encourage the installation of more charging stations for their customers.
Over 5,100 charging units nationwide
Tengku Zafrul shared that as of Sept 30, a total of 5,149 public EV charging units have been installed nationwide, making up 51% of the 10,000-unit target.
Of these, 1,709 are DC chargers, while the remaining 3,440 are alternating current (AC) chargers.
“With a ratio of one public EV charger for every eight battery electric vehicles (BEVs), the current number of chargers are sufficient to accommodate the approximately 42,000 BEVs registered for passenger use to date,” he said.