With the current growth of Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption in Malaysia there’s an increased demand for more DC fast chargers along interstate routes to address range anxiety. Before the year is out, we could see more DC fast chargers deployed in the East Coast, especially on the Terengganu section of the East Coast Expressway (LPT).
EV Connection (EVC) has shared on Facebook that it plans to deploy three additional Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) powered EV charging stations in the East Coast region by the end of this year.
At the moment, they have deployed four BESS charging sites on PLUS highway located at Behrang Layby (Northbound and Southbound), and Senawang R&R (Northbound and Southbound) with a combined battery capacity of 1.2MWh. With the three upcoming sites, they will have a total deployed BESS capacity of 2MWh by the end of 2024.
EVC highlighted that one of the main issues slowing down EV fast charger deployment is the lack of power along highways. This is where BESS can address the issue and enable a faster charger rollout. It added that the BESS can be used for peak shaving, grid frequency support and to participate in the energy market in the future.
When it comes to charging, the BESS acts like a “reserve tank” to enable DC fast charging in areas with limited power capacity. However, it is worth noting that the charging capability is subject to the state of charge of the BESS themselves. The chargers will be slowed down or suspended completely if the battery level is in a low state of charge.
EVC has recently introduced a new feature on the JomCharge app which allows users to check the status of the BESS-assisted chargers. With its limited battery capacity, EV users are advised to charge with what they need at these locations to ensure sufficient capacity for other users.
EVC’s BESS solution was first deployed at Behrang Layby Northbound and is equipped with a battery capacity of 300kWh that can be charged via solar or from the grid. Designed to be portation, the BESS stations which are constructed on a platform can be moved to a different location once a new compact substation is installed.
During the launch of the first BESS-assisted station, it was mentioned that the upcoming proposed EV charging sites include Ajil R&R (Northbound and Southbound) and Perasing R&R on LPT2 in Terengganu. For those travelling between Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu, there’s currently Shell Recharge EV charging stations at Perasing R&R and Paka R&R (Northbound and Southbound), and TNB Electron at Paka Northbound.
Kuala Terengganu is currently one of the least-developed capital cities in Peninsular Malaysia when it comes to EV charging infrastructure. The sole DC fast charger near the city centre is a 60kW ChargeSini DC Charger in Mydin Mall Gong Badak and the next alternative DC chargers are TNB Electron’s 47kW DC charger (downrated to 34kW) at Petron Kampung Gemuroh and Gentari’s 120kW DC Charger at INSTEP.
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