Minister of International Trade and Industry, Tengku Zafrul had a meeting with Tesla representatives today to discuss their progress and implementation of the Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) Global Leaders program. Under the program, Tesla can import and sell EVs in Malaysia without being subjected to the usual Approved Permit (AP) rules.
In a posting on Facebook, Tengku Zafrul said Tesla remains committed to developing Malaysia’s EV charging infrastructure and they have made investments exceeding USD 13.5 million (about RM59.1 million).
As of the end of July 2024, he said Tesla has deployed 52 units of Tesla Superchargers capable of delivering up to 250kW of DC fast charging, 54 units of Tesla Destination chargers and over 4,500 units of Tesla Wall Connector home chargers to customers throughout Peninsular Malaysia.
The Minister said they had discussed the potential of battery energy storage systems which can help improve the energy efficiency and stability of the national grid. He said the technology has the potential to reduce energy costs and strengthen the national energy infrastructure.
Tengku Zafrul said Tesla has also emphasised its support for the local ecosystem involving 9 Malaysian companies in the development of EV charging infrastructure. They have also collaborated with institutions of higher learning to enable knowledge transfer and human capital development. He added that the collaboration will help to drive Malaysia as a major green technology hub in the region and he hopes that the effort will continue to grow to bring greater benefits to the country’s economy, technology and sustainable energy.
Tesla officially made its debut in Malaysia in July 2023 with the launch of the Tesla Model Y and the country’s first Tesla Supercharger location at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. As revealed by Tesla Malaysia, they delivered a total of 4,998 electric vehicles in the first year, consisting of 3,002 units of Tesla Model 3 and 1,996 units of Tesla Model Y.
Since its establishment, Tesla has established its headquarters in Cyberjaya which houses an experience centre showroom. It also has a permanent showroom at Pavilion Damansara Heights and two display locations at Sunway Big Box in Johor and Gurney Plaza in Penang.
The EV brand currently still has just one service centre located in Cyberjaya and they have appointed two authorised Body & Paint shops namely SR EV Automotive and Hap Seng Body and Paint. Under the BEV programme, Tesla is supposed to open up its charging network to other brands by 2025. At the moment, its Tesla SuperCharger and Destination chargers are available exclusively to Tesla drivers only.
According to the latest JPJ vehicle registration data, Tesla is currently the second most popular EV brand in the country with a total of 3,399 units registered this year until July 2024. BYD is still the most popular brand with a total of 5,070 units registered during the same period.
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