During the press conference at today’s General Distributorship Agreement signing ceremony with Smart, Proton announced that the company will be investing in both public and private EV charging networks here in Malaysia, ahead of its official entry into the new energy vehicle market.
The local carmaker is keeping mum on the details for now, but revealed that they will be collaborating with local charging providers to set up the network. The company says they are currently speaking to “seven to eight” partners.
The network will cover the “most popular routes” around the nation, including East Malaysia, with the company adding that they intend to serve the rural areas as quickly as urban areas.
Aside from the EV charging network, Proton will also be offering domestic units for customers who intend to charge their vehicles at home, along with installation services. The local carmaker will also lean heavily into integrated digital services, offering a “connected digital solution” that will include journey planning, charging availability, and even “purchase considerations” in the near future.
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Currently in Malaysia, many carmakers have already signed partnership deals with either JomCharge (EV Conection) and ChargEV (Green EV Charge), the two largest EV charging network in Malaysia, to further expand their AC and DC fast charging network around the country. The two government linked energy company, Petronas and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), have also embarked on setting up their own respective charging networks.
TNB forecasts the number of EVs on the road to reach half a million by 2030 here in Malaysia, raising the electricity consumption requirements up to 2.3 TWh just for EV charging alone. The company expects roughly 3,300 charging points around Malaysia by 2025, rising up to 18,000 chargers by 2030.
