MITI PARTNERS WITH SELANGOR, JOHOR TO ENSURE DC CHARGERS IN ALL DISTRICTS

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) is collaborating with the Selangor and Johor state governments to ensure that every district has at least one direct current (DC) fast charger for electric vehicle (EV) use.

MITI Deputy Minister Liew Chin Tong said this initiative is part of the government's measures to achieve the 10,000 EV charging stations target by 2025.

"We hope that following the pilot project with the Selangor and Johor state governments, we can extend this programme to cover all districts in both states, ensuring comprehensive access to DC chargers," he said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat.

Liew was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (PN-Kubang Pasu), who asked about the government’s strategy to ensure adequate EV charging infrastructure in line with increasing EV adoption nationwide. 

He noted that there are currently 500 DC chargers across the country, and MITI has raised its target from 1,000 to 1,500 units by 2025, recognising the critical role of DC chargers in expediting EV charging. 

"We aim to install 1,500 DC chargers, as they significantly reduce charging time," Liew explained.

Liew also highlighted various initiatives to strengthen the EV ecosystem and domestic industry in response to a separate question from Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) regarding efforts to boost local EV production and support sustainable development goals (SDG) 2050 targets.

"As of Sept 30, 2024, a total of 33,319 electric vehicles (xEVs), including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), have been sold. This represents 5.11 per cent of total vehicle sales for the year. Additionally, 3,354 charging bays have been installed as of Oct 31, 2024," he added.

-- BERNAMA