CUTTING RED TAPE DRIVES GROWTH OF EV CHARGING STATIONS - TENGKU ZAFRUL

IPOH, July 13 (Bernama) -- The number of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations nationwide increased by 12.5 per cent as of June 25, compared to the first quarter of this year, driven by the government's efforts to reduce bureaucratic hurdles in the installation process.

Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said that previously, approvals involved numerous agencies and ministries, including the Energy Commission, local authorities, and the Fire and Rescue Department.

"The increase over the past two to three months has been significant. Initially, there were approval challenges, but meetings chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof successfully streamlined the process.

“We now have a one-stop centre to speed things up," he said after officiating the 2024 Ipoh Barat UMNO Division Delegates Meeting today.

Tengku Zafrul added that the government is maintaining its target to have 10,000 EV charging stations nationwide, and raised the target for Direct Current (DC) Fast Charging units from 1,000 to 1,500 this year.

“While DC chargers are costlier to install, they are essential due to high demand from the public,” he said.

The Low Carbon Mobility Action Plan 2021-2030, announced in 2020, aims to establish 10,000 EV chargers by 2025, comprising 9,000 Alternating Current (AC) chargers and 1,000 DC chargers.

According to the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI), 2,585 EV chargers have been installed nationwide as of June 25, excluding the Federal Territory of Labuan.

-- BERNAMA