MITI Weighs CBU Import Rules to Boost EV Charger Roll-Out

Malaysia has rolled out 5,624 public EV charging points nationwide, reaching 56% of its target, with deployment increasingly tilted towards fast chargers as usage patterns become clearer.

As part of efforts to ensure charging access keeps pace with EV adoption, the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry is considering requiring companies that import CBU EVs to help deploy EV charging infrastructure.

MITI Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said this could become a future condition for CBU imports, with brands expected to play a more direct role in supporting nationwide charging access.

Johari said 1,923 of the installed chargers are DC fast chargers, while 3,701 are AC chargers. Deployment of DC units has exceeded the original target of 1,500 chargers by 28%, cementing their role as the backbone of the public charging network.

AC charger growth, however, remains slower at just 40% of its 8,500-unit target. Johari said this reflects actual demand rather than weak rollout, as many EV owners in landed homes rely on residential charging, while shared chargers in high-rise condominiums are only beginning to meet urban needs.

Although the overall target of 10,000 public chargers has yet to be reached, Johari said the emphasis on DC installations aligns with industry feedback that fast charging availability is critical to easing range anxiety and accelerating EV adoption.

He added that the government continues to promote home charging, noting that electricity costs at residential tariffs are significantly lower than using public DC chargers.

Johari acknowledged that scaling up the network remains capital-intensive, with each DC fast charger costing about RM210,000 to install. Deployment is further slowed by coordination requirements with local authorities, the Energy Commission (ST) and Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), often involving grid upgrades and extended approval timelines.

In the northern region, he said 45 DC fast chargers have been deployed across 21 key sites, operated by charging point operators such as TNB Electron, Gentari, Shell Recharge and JomCharge, with capacities ranging from 24kW to 240kW. Demand along routes such as the Gerik–Jeli Federal Route remains seasonal, meaning expansion must be guided by usage, commercial viability and long-term sustainability.

At the same time, CariCarz has consistently highlighted that government involvement must go beyond a purely public–private rollout model. This includes direct financial participation to ease high upfront deployment costs, alongside decisive action to simplify and streamline regulatory and approval processes.

These are hardly new or radical ideas. They reflect long-standing industry calls that, to date, appear to have resonated more strongly within the sector than within policymaking circles.

Source: Bernama & FMT