PUTRAJAYA: The number of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the country will be increased to 4,000 next year to support the government’s plan to use EVs as official cars for Asean programmes, says Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the Cabinet has decided that Malaysia, being the Asean chair next year, will use EVs as official cars to transport heads of state and government and officials attending Asean meetings.
He said the over 2,000 existing EV charging stations mainly concentrated in urban centres were adequate to support the use of EVs as official vehicles for next year’s Asean meetings, which will be held in cities across the country.
“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.
“EVs are one of the approaches that the government is focusing on,” he said on the sidelines of the 2024 National Planning Congress held in conjunction with World Town Planning Day 2024 here yesterday, Bernama reported.
He added that one way to speed up the installation of charging stations was to involve not just Tenaga Nasional Bhd but also the private sector.
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.
Fadillah also highlighted the need for a new approach to urban planning and development going beyond focusing solely on physical and spatial growth.
He said urban development also encompassed the creation of inclusive, sustainable and competitive communities, adding that cities and big towns could no longer be viewed merely as economic hubs as the focus should also be on addressing climate change, population growth, technological advancement and social equity.
