Jun 9 2025, 03:36 PM, updated 7 months ago
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Recently, yours truly went on a 10-car electric-only (BEV) trip down south to Johor to check out the capabilities of a recently launched model. We are not going to mention the name of the brand hosting the convoy drive, because the outcome is the same regardless of whether we are driving ten Proton e.Mas 7s, BYD Sealions or Tesla Model Ys.
Instead, we would like to focus on the current state of the BEV infrastructure in Malaysia. While the number of charging stations has been ramping up across the country, there is still the question of whether our infrastructure can handle during peak hours. What you see on curated social media content is not always true, and this is our raw experience, told as it is
Instead, we would like to focus on the current state of the BEV infrastructure in Malaysia. While the number of charging stations has been ramping up across the country, there is still the question of whether our infrastructure can handle during peak hours. What you see on curated social media content is not always true, and this is our raw experience, told as it is
*cough*SoyaCincau*cough*
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During the final day of the media drive, the organisers told us to take a pit stop at Johor Premium Outlets (JPO) to recharge our cars. The plan was to have them charged up to 90%, which should provide us enough range to head back to Kuala Lumpur.
Under WLTP tests, the tested car has a maximum range of 480 km. Our journey from JPO to KL would take 309 km, so a 90% state of charge (SoC) would be more than sufficient.
When we reached JPO, most of the cars had about 20% or fewer SoC and charging up to 90% via a DC charger would take an average of around 30 to 40 minutes. The reason for charging at JPO was that there were plenty of charging bays – 30 DC charge points – available and 1 MW worth of capacity, which is sufficient to support charging our ten cars and other owners.
In theory, these figures sound very confident to local BEV lobbyists who harp on the virtues and beliefs of BEVs being the sure-fire future of personal mobility.
But some of us faced issues with the chargers, which either could not initially accept the payment or were having connectivity issues. The charger my car was assigned to was a 640-kW DC fast charger meant for commercial electric buses, operated by DC Handal.
It took about 10 minutes to get the car charging, which was capped at around 160 kW, but this was after a few attempts to initiate the charge, possibly due to a problem with the pay terminal and the intense heat – it was 34°C that afternoon.
Under WLTP tests, the tested car has a maximum range of 480 km. Our journey from JPO to KL would take 309 km, so a 90% state of charge (SoC) would be more than sufficient.
When we reached JPO, most of the cars had about 20% or fewer SoC and charging up to 90% via a DC charger would take an average of around 30 to 40 minutes. The reason for charging at JPO was that there were plenty of charging bays – 30 DC charge points – available and 1 MW worth of capacity, which is sufficient to support charging our ten cars and other owners.
In theory, these figures sound very confident to local BEV lobbyists who harp on the virtues and beliefs of BEVs being the sure-fire future of personal mobility.
But some of us faced issues with the chargers, which either could not initially accept the payment or were having connectivity issues. The charger my car was assigned to was a 640-kW DC fast charger meant for commercial electric buses, operated by DC Handal.
It took about 10 minutes to get the car charging, which was capped at around 160 kW, but this was after a few attempts to initiate the charge, possibly due to a problem with the pay terminal and the intense heat – it was 34°C that afternoon.
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Then, the entire JPO suffered a blackout, and the roasting heat turned to a massive downpour. At this point, less than half of the ten cars in our convoy have been charged up to 90%. Most of us had between 50-60% of SoC, and the organiser suggested charging their cars at another charging station at one of the highway rest stops.
Eventually, power was restored to the premium outlet after about 10-15 minutes. The organiser told a few of us that have not left to remain at the charging stations. We managed to get our car charged up to 90% at JPO and made our way back to the capital with 14% charge remaining.
Eventually, power was restored to the premium outlet after about 10-15 minutes. The organiser told a few of us that have not left to remain at the charging stations. We managed to get our car charged up to 90% at JPO and made our way back to the capital with 14% charge remaining.
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Through a stroke of bad luck, the blackout was later revealed not to have been caused by us charging, but a scheduled supply cut to facilitate construction nearby. Nobody cares about the cause of a blackout at a petrol station because drivers will simply ignore it and go to another location further down the road, but in this case, it’s enough to delay the progress of 10 cars.
Large-scale interstate driving events like these always involve overworked event crews who will have to take the cars to charge, and wait, usually through the night, especially if the destination is far from major city centres. Take this recent trip down south. There are three charging stations nearby, and even if they support DC charging, it would take time to recharge them to a feasible range.
10 cars multiplied by 20 minutes of charging, which does not include the time to move each of them around and get connected with the chargers, and you’re looking at a long night.
Large-scale interstate driving events like these always involve overworked event crews who will have to take the cars to charge, and wait, usually through the night, especially if the destination is far from major city centres. Take this recent trip down south. There are three charging stations nearby, and even if they support DC charging, it would take time to recharge them to a feasible range.
10 cars multiplied by 20 minutes of charging, which does not include the time to move each of them around and get connected with the chargers, and you’re looking at a long night.
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