Tesla has announced the expansion of its charging network to Penang, Malaysia, with the installation of two Destination Charging stations. Situated at The Ship Campus in Batu Kawan and All Seasons Place, these new stations mark a significant step in enhancing charging coverage across the country.
The addition of these charging stations enables Tesla owners to enjoy seamless cross-country charging experiences, spanning from Singapore to Johor and now Penang. Tesla’s Destination Charging stations offer convenient and reliable charging options for Tesla vehicle owners. With the simple act of plugging in, owners can benefit from free charging services. Moreover, the Tesla app allows users to monitor the charging status and receive notifications when their vehicles are fully charged and ready for use.
The newly installed Destination Charging Station at The Ship Campus boasts 8 Destination Chargers, while the station at All Seasons Place provides 4 Destination Chargers. This brings the total number of Destination Chargers in Penang to 12, offering ample charging opportunities for Tesla owners in the region.
Currently, Malaysia is equipped with 6 Supercharging stations and 8 Destination Charging stations, featuring a total of 30 Superchargers and 37 Destination Chargers across major cities. Tesla remains committed to further expanding its charging infrastructure in Penang and throughout Malaysia, ensuring comprehensive charging coverage for Tesla owners nationwide.
Clean energy solutions provider Gentari Sdn Bhd, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Gentari Green Mobility Sdn Bhd, has made significant strides in expanding its electric vehicle (EV) charging network into Sarawak, in collaboration with Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB).
The first charging points in Sarawak are situated at Kuching’s ICOM Square, a strategically located lifestyle hub that offers easy access to malls, restaurants, and office buildings. Notably, this charging station features three charging points, with two of them boasting an impressive 180kW DC charging power, making it the fastest and highest-capacity public charging station in Borneo.
This new EV charging service is accessible around the clock and is undergoing a trial phase throughout the month of September. Residents and visitors in Kuching will also benefit from the convenience of accessing a network of 600 charging points across Malaysia through Gentari’s EV roaming network, available via the Setel and JomCharge mobile applications.
With the target of 10,000 charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) by the end of 2025 set by the government, the race is on to build the network around the country. What is important is to have a comprehensive network that will enable people to travel further away from the city where they live. If they can feel confident of locating a charging points along the way when they go to, say, Desaru, for a holiday, then they would not be hesitant about owning an EV.
There are hundreds of charging points already installed but they are operated by different companies which have different systems and apps to make payment. It can be bit of a hassle for motorists to have multiple apps and also to locate the charging points of a specific network.
A consolidation of networks would make things more convenient and that is what Green EV Charge Sdn Bhd has done by signing a tripartite roaming agreement with EV Connection Sdn Bhd and Yinson GreenTech (YGT). This will enable cross-tracking and cross-access charging of EVs on the Gentari (via Setel), JomCharge and chargEV mobile apps.
In order for electric vehicles (EVs) to be more readily adopted, not only do they need to cost less but the issue of the charging network has to be addressed. The liquid fuel network around the planet where you can find somewhere to refuel – in the desert or in the jungle – is the product of 100 years of development but charging stations are very recent. In fact, it’s only during this decade that the charging network has accelerated as more EVs began appearing on roads.
Ideally, governments should build the infrastructure but it is a costly exercise, so they are leaving it to the industry players to make the investments. On their part, governments typically offer incentives (like tax exemptions) to buyers to reduce the cost of purchasing an EV. So it is up to the carmakers to either build a network themselves or partner companies in the power supply business.
At CES 2023, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will launch a high-power charging network in key markets that include North America, Europe and China, starting with the USA and Canada this year. The aim is to have the full network in place before the end of the decade, when Mercedes-Benz intends to go all-electric wherever market conditions allow.
Anyone wanting to drive from Singapore to Bangkok can do so on nice highways through Malaysia and Thailand. Like other highways around the world, there are petrol stations all along the way so refuelling is not a concern.
The situation is a bit different for those with electric vehicles (EVs) as they need electricity rather than liquid fuel. It is only in the past couple of years that EV sales have started and the need for recharging stations has taken on an urgency. Unless there is a comprehensive network of stations around the country, EV owners will be unable to travel far and this will discourage buying such vehicles.
The private sector has been giving its support to the government’s call to establish this network and Shell Malaysia has collaborated with Porsche Asia Pacific to set up stations not just in Malaysia but also in Singapore and Thailand. The network is along the North-South Expressway in Malaysia and then highways in Thailand, the longest cross-country high-performance charging (HPC) infrastructure EV network in Southeast Asia.
With the government helping to promote the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) by exempting them from as well as providing some other incentives, the car companies are also doing their part by participating in the development of the charging network nationwide. After all, if they want people to buy their EVs and enjoy using them, then enabling owners to travel far is necessary as part of ‘aftersales’
BMW Group Malaysia, having been among the early pioneers in electric mobility in Malaysia, is one of the companies that has been helping to grow the number of charging stations. Besides having such facilities at its dealerships, it has now introduced BMW Charging to gives its EV customers peace of mind when they wish to go on long journeys.
Gentari Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of PETRONAS which offers clean energy solutions, has set up Southeast Asia’s first 350kW charging station for electric vehicles (EVs). The high-speed charger is one of the stations at the EV Charging Hub located at X Park Sunway Serene in the Sungai Way Free Trade Industrial Zone, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
The facility has been set up in partnership with EV Connection Sdn Bhd (EVC) and besides the 350 kW super charger – the fastest public charger in Southeast Asia – there are also two DC fast chargers (180 kW), and five AC chargers (22 kW and 7 kW).
With a number of its units selling different brands of electric vehicles (EVs), it is in Sime Darby Motors Malaysia’s interest to support the development of an EV charging network This will benefit its growing customer base as well as help in promoting the adoption of EVs in Malaysia. Brands handled by Sime Darby Motors units which offer EVs are BMW and MINI, Porsche and Volvo.
The company has identified locations for EV charging stations at every 200 to 300 kilometres along highways across Peninsular Malaysia to ensure all high-density areas are in range of such facilities. The initiative includes ensuring the availability of support services for all existing and new customers who have purchased an EV from a Sime Darby Motors company.
Taking the lead in this project is Auto Bavaria, the longest-serving and largest BMW authorised dealership group in Malaysia, in operation since the late 1980s. Leveraging on its extensive network of direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) fast chargers, a total of 33 charging facilities are already operational across the Klang Valley, Penang, and Johor.
Sime Darby Motors’ network of chargers will be available for booking via the GO TO-U digital experience platform for e-mobility application by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tenaga Nasional Berhad, TNBX Sdn Bhd. The GO TO-U application affords Sime Darby Motors EV owners the convenience of pre-booking EV charging stations, connecting with local businesses within walking distance, and enjoying added services such as battery health checks, scheduled maintenance and customer support.
Members of the public or non-Sime Darby Motors EV owners are also able to use the GO TO-U application to book EV charging stations in Sime Darby Motors’ network.
As part of the company’s drive to continuously enhance services for customers, Sime Darby Motors EV owners are eligible to receive a 10-year waiver on membership fees via the GO TO-U app worth RM2,400. In addition, special DC charging rates and free charging at AC chargers will be available until December 31, 2022.
For those who did not purchase an EV from a Sime Darby Motors unit, there will be a membership fee waiver, special DC charging rates and free charging at AC charging points, until December 31, 2022.
Jeffrey Gan, Managing Director, Retail & Distribution, Sime Darby Motors Malaysia (right) with Vi Thim Juan, Managing Director of Auto Bavaria at one of the DC charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) at Auto Bavaria in Ara Damansara, Selangor.
“Sime Darby Motors remains focused on our energy-efficient drive as a leading automotive player in Malaysia. We are on track with our plans to populate our roads and highways with EV charging stations to help accelerate the adoption of EVs. We are also pleased to offer a uniquely Sime Darby Motors’ customer experience for Sime Darby Motors EV owners, which promises an enriching EV experience across all Sime Darby Motors brands,” said Sime Darby Motors Malaysia Retail & Distribution Managing Director, Jeffrey Gan.
“This will be a game-changer for our EV customers and for us as well, with data analytics that will be made available. We are excited to bring innovative automotive experiences to our customers as we play our part in furthering the country’s aspirations for a low carbon mobility future,” added Mr. Gan.
While driving from Singapore up through Peninsular Malaysia to the border with Thailand has been possible for decades, in the coming era of electric vehicles (EVs), a network of recharging stations needs to be set up so that such vehicles can complete the whole 862-km journey without running out of electrical ‘fuel’. While the range of EVs continues to increase, places to recharge along the way will still be needed in the same way as petrol stations as travellers may detour or take breaks in various places.
Companies like Shell, in collaboration with Porsche Asia Pacific, have taken the initiative to start setting up a network of high-speed charging stations along the North-South Expressway. No doubt, as the EV population increases, other companies will also start contributing to the network.
Access to the Go/EVC charging stations requires the use of a mobile app.
Singapore’s sole piped town gas provider, City Energy, is among them and has launched its Go by City Energy (Go) EV charging service to offer a seamless operational service across Singapore and Malaysia using a mobile app on smartphones. Operated by its new subsidiary, City Energy Go Pte. Ltd., Go will be the first EV charging service provider to offer EV charging solution as a service
This Caltex station near Sjudai in Johor is one of the stations with EV charging facilities.
Go, which finances, operates and maintains the network of EV charging stations, has a strategic partnership with EV Connection Sdn. Bhd. to extend charging connectivity into Malaysia. The two companies recently signed an agreement to extend connectivity into Malaysia. Go will be the first service in Singapore that extends EV charging capabilities into Malaysia.
EV Connection is one of Malaysia’s pioneers in EV charging solutions and an authorised EV charging station distributor registered with Suruhanjaya Tenaga, CIDB, Tenaga Nasional Berhad and MyHijau. With this partnership, Go drivers will be able to access EV Connection’s network of charging stations in Malaysia.
Depending on the location, the charging stations and power levels may vary. Go says that the charging levels can be 22 kW or 43 kW (AC) or 50 kW (DC). The higher the charging level, the faster the charging will be but each EV will be designed to accept a specific charging level. To cater for different EV models, the charging stations will have different ports for the popular types of charging cable connectors.
Motorists in Europe who own electric vehicles can drive across the continent, confident that they will be able to recharge their vehicles in different countries. On the Asian continent, that same capability may take a while to realise but a start has been made by Shell and Porsche Asia Pacific in the Malaysian Peninsular. The two companies have partnered to make road trips in electric vehicles (EVs) between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang a possibility.
This initiative is the first cross-border high-performance charging (HPC) network in Southeast Asia which will drive the future of electric mobility in the region starting from one of the world’s busiest international land border crossings at the Sultan Iskandar Building and Woodlands Checkpoint at the southern tip of the peninsular. While it is not possible to do so with current travel restrictions between the two countries, the two companies are gearing up for the time when the borders will reopen, and motorists will be able to travel again across the Causeway and Second Link.
Through this partnership, 6 Shell stations will be equipped with 180 kW direct-current (DC) chargers, offering the highest charging capacity currently available in Singapore and Malaysia. The first 4 stations will be ready during the second half of 2021 and the remaining two by the first half of 2022.
The chargers come with two CCS Type 2 charging connectors, allowing a single vehicle to be charged at up to 180 kW, or two vehicles to charge simultaneously at up to 90 kW each. The sites will be integrated in the existing Shell charging networks, comprising 18 Shell Recharge 50 kW fast charge points at Shell stations and 87 Greenlots public charge points in Singapore, as well as 18 ‘Reserve + Shell Recharge’ charge points in Malaysia. Furthermore, they will complement the established 175 kW high-performance chargers available at all Porsche Centres in Malaysia, as well as the growing ‘Porsche Destination Charging’ network at selected hotels, airports, sports clubs, and other lifestyle venues.
As electric mobility starts gaining momentum in Singapore and Malaysia, the network will enable smooth, convenient, and reliable electric road trips between the two countries. Once launched, the chargers will be available for all EVs that utilise the CCS Type 2 charging connector, which is widely used across both countries, with Porsche customers enjoying special rates at Shell Recharge.
Shell’s new 180kW high performance chargers are equipped to charge EV’s such as the Porsche Taycan from zero to 80% battery capacity in around 30 minutes, providing up to 390 kms of extra travel distance. The petroleum company is also offering additional benefits to Porsche customers such as reserving the HPC points in Malaysia in advance using their mobile app, and preferential prices for food and beverages at the Shell Select shops.
“Customers are at the heart of everything we do,” said Shairan Huzani Husain, Cluster Managing Director, Mobility Malaysia and Singapore, Shell. “We have been investing in building EV charging infrastructure to reduce range anxiety for our customers and this initiative is one of many examples of Shell providing solutions catered to our customers’ need for cleaner energy solutions. In 2019, we introduced EV charging in Singapore and in 2020, we introduced solar-powered retail stations in Malaysia. Now EV customers across the borders can experience Shell Recharge, and also recharge themselves with drinks and snacks at our Shell Select shops.”
The Porsche Centre at Sime Darby Motors City complex in Ara Damansara, Selangor which is part of the charging network.
The charging network complements the locations and retail formats for current and future Porsche enthusiasts in Malaysia, such as the newest Porsche Centre Ara Damansara as well as the upcoming Porsche Centre Johor Bahru, which are designed to foster brand experience and exclusivity.
The ASEAN markets hold strong potential for Porsche to unlock and we see an opportunity to shape electric mobility in the region. Our high-performance network across Singapore and Malaysia will serve as a lighthouse project for other countries to follow,” said Matthias Becker, Vice-President Region Overseas and Emerging Markets of Porsche AG.
Click here to know more about Taycan and other Porsche models and services in Malaysia.
