By Amar Shah Mohsen
SHAH ALAM, March 12 — Selangor is the state with the most electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the country, according to Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.
In a written parliamentary reply, Zafrul noted that Selangor already has 683 charging bays installed across the state as of the start of this year.
Of this, 136 are direct current (DC) chargers, while the remaining 547 are alternating current (AC) chargers.
DC provides a continuous flow of electricity from the source to the vehicle's battery, allowing for faster charging. AC, on the other hand, periodically changes direction and requires conversion to DC before it can charge the battery, which can be slower.
The Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, meanwhile, is close behind in second place, with 556 charging stations, comprising 82 DC and 474 AC chargers.
Together, they account for 61.3 per cent of the overall 2,020 chargers nationwide — 429 DC and 1,591 AC chargers.
Johor, Penang and Perak make up the top five, respectively with 221, 191 and 72 charging stations, while Terengganu (seven), Putrajaya (six) and Perlis (two) have the fewest.
Zafrul said the Federal government is now focusing on installing more DC fast chargers for the convenience of EV users and to address the issue of range anxiety.
“This (strategy) takes into consideration the fact that most houses in Malaysia are landed, allowing EV users to charge their vehicles at home, and that more locations like shopping malls are beginning to offer AC charging stations for their customers,” he said.
He added that his ministry and the relevant agencies are currently deliberating the need to review the government’s target of installing 10,000 charging stations by 2025, due to the current low figure.
The findings will be presented in the National EV Steering Committee meeting next quarter, Zafrul said.
