'The plan now is to promote more electric vehicles, and one step is to increase the number of charging stations,' says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. (Photo by Patrick Goh/The Edge)

PUTRAJAYA (Oct 29): The number of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the country will be doubled to 4,000 next year to support the government's plan to use EVs as official cars for Asean programmes, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

According to him, the more than 2,000 existing EV charging stations, mainly concentrated in urban centres, are adequate to support the use of EVs as official vehicles for next year's Asean meetings, which will be held in cities.

He said that one approach to sustainability is focusing on the energy sector, including EVs.

Therefore, the Cabinet has decided that Malaysia, as the Asean chair next year, will use EVs as official cars to transport heads of state and officials attending Asean meetings, he added.

“The plan now is to promote more EVs, and one step is to increase the number of charging stations. Our target is to have 10,000 stations nationwide by 2030, along with providing incentives for EV ownership.

“This is beneficial for the environment, as it reduces carbon emissions from the transportation sector, and EVs are one of the approaches that the government is focusing on,” he told reporters after the opening of the 2024 National Planning Congress held in conjunction with World Town Planning Day 2024 here on Tuesday.

He noted that one way to speed up the installation of charging stations is to involve not only Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA) but also the private sector.

Fadillah explained that transitioning the transportation and manufacturing sectors could help Malaysia reach the target of 40% renewable energy in the national fuel mix by 2030, up from the current 20%.

Efforts to increase EV usage must balance electricity supply security, safety and affordability, said Fadillah, who is also the energy transition and water transformation minister.

On Monday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that EVs would be used as official vehicles during Malaysia's chairmanship of Asean next year.

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