Fire Dept Readies Commercial EV Charging Stations Guidelines

Malaysian Fire and Rescue Dept (JBP) has come up with guidelines for EV charging stations located within commercial premises nationwide.

The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) has come up with guidelines for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations positioned within commercial premises nationwide, reports Bernama.

JBPM Operations Director Datuk Ahmad Izram Osman was quoted by the local wire in saying that the guidelines have been submitted by JBPM to the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) for evaluation, but an announcement will only be made later.

JBPM's Operations Director Datuk Ahmad Izram Osman. (Image: Bernama)

"Among our recommendations are about the distance of vehicles from entrance and exit of premises, the appropriate level of the building for installation and several other aspects,” said Datuk Ahmad. He adds that the guidelines cover the application and approval procedures for the installation of EV charging stations both inside and outside buildings, taking into account fire safety aspects.

Much of the guidelines are driven by the nature of EV-related fires in needing copious amount of water, time-consuming, and possess higher risks of re-igniting. These can also be triggered by a number of factors including the batteries, road conditions, as well as the weather. Datuk Ahmad adds that other factors such as short circuits, overcharging and overvoltage, as well as manufacturing defects can cause them too.

Presently, the guidelines submitted by JBPM to KPKT only covers EV charging stations at commercial premises and areas only.

Presently, the guidelines submitted by JBPM, according to Datuk Ahmad, were meant for commercial premises and areas only (i.e. this), meaning it’s presently does not involve and apply to residential locations. “We worked with the Malaysian Architects Association, the Zero Emission Vehicle Association (ZEVA) and various non-governmental organisations to complete it,” adds Datuk Ahmad.

Datuk Ahmad also noted that the department has always worked closely with suppliers of electric vehicle components to identify the parts of the vehicle, which can later help with putting out fires when needed. "JBPM is always prepared for any possibility of fire involving electric vehicles. We will use our existing equipment as well as continue raising public awareness on the matter," he added.

Pending evaluation from KPKT, these guidelines by JBPM will be announced soon.

Datuk Ahmad continued by explaining that the extinguishing process for EVs require the cooling method due to the fact that these have the thermal runaway effect. This means if the fire isn’t cooled down quickly, it will spread. This method also greatly differs from techniques used to combat regular car fires, which usually use water depending on the situation and it doesn’t take long.

Surely, this is an important step towards spurring safe development of the EV charging infrastructure in Malaysia, to which the government aims to have up to 10,000 points operational by end of 2025. Presently, there are just 1,063 of such points operational nationwide, though this number is set to continue climbing according to Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul recently.