Owners can charge EVs at home

KUALA LUMPUR: High-rise and landed property dwellers can look forward to charging their electric vehicles in the comfort of their homes soon.

This follows the launch of the planning guidelines for electric vehicle charging bays (EVCBs) aimed at standardising their development in the country.

“We will have a uniform guidelines for all the states. It is part of the government’s effort to promote ease of doing business.

“We are not only people-friendly but also investor and business-friendly,” Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming told reporters during the unveiling of the guidelines at the media centre in Parliament yesterday.

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Currently, there are only 1,267 EVCBs throughout the country which are located in shopping malls, car showrooms, hotels and resorts.

“We plan to build 10,000 EVCBs nationwide by 2025,” he said.

The EVCBs are allowed to be set up in housing estates, high-rise buildings, petrol stations as well as recreation areas.

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They can also be in non-residential area such as commercial and industrial area including institutions.

Under the guidelines, there must be a minimum of 2% EVCBs in high-rise residential buildings or a minimum of one at a visitor parking area.

Nga said it was encouraged to have at least one EVCB for electric motorcycles in every building.

He also said that the new EVCBs must be larger than existing ones including those meant for the disabled.

At present, an EVCB is based on the size of the car park bay.

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A new EVCB must be at least 2.5m wide by 6m in length for normal use and 3.5m by 6m for a parking bay for the disabled.“Any EVCB set-up needs to comply with fire safety guidelines set by the Fire and Rescue Department,” he said.

Among the requirements are the installation of automatic sprinkle system and vehicle fire blankets.

To speed up the development of EVCBs, Nga said the guidelines would also include a one-stop application process for approval by local councils.

“The approval process is a minimum of seven days or up to 14 days, depending on the design, equipment and location of the EVCB,” he said.