Petronas In Collaboration With Mercedes And JomCharge To Install DC Fast Chargers At Major Highways

Petronas in partnership with Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and JomCharge will be installing fast EV chargers at five petrol stations located along the North-South Expressway and part of the East-West Expressway.

It seems like the government's proposal to make EVs more accessible by giving it a load of tax incentives in 2022 is already having a knock-on effect, as Petronas Dagangan has announced a partnership with Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and JomCharge to provide fast EV chargers at their petrol stations.

This is good news for those who want to buy a fully electric car (BEV) next year in conjunction with tax and duty exemptions, as mentioned by the government in the presentation of the 2022 Budget.

Petronas Dagangan Berhad (PDB) has announced that they will install DC fast chargers at selected Petronas petrol stations in the first half of 2022 in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) and JomCharge charging station network operator, EV Connection (EVC).

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has already been signed and will see Petronas adding chargers at five of its stations located along the North-South Expressway and part of the East-West Expressway during the pilot phase.

The MoU was signed by PDB Managing Director, Azrul Osman Rani, Mercedes-Benz Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Rene Neumann and EVC Managing Director, Ir Lee Yuen How.

According to Petronas, the collaboration aims to resolve the issue of insufficient fast chargers in Malaysia, with chargers at designated locations helping EV owners to travel long distances using their electric cars.

According to Petronas Vice President of Marketing, Ahmad Adly Alias, the move should help EVs travel the distance, which would resolve one of its most significant issues, thus promoting the usability of EVs.

"Through this partnership, fast chargers will be available at strategic locations leveraging our wide network of Petronas stations, making customers' life simpler and better. We view this investment in EV charging facilities as a necessary step towards promoting the adoption of EVs in Malaysia," said Alias as reported by The Edge Markets.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Vice President of Sales and Marketing Michael Jopp also took the opportunity to say that 2022 marks the beginning of Mercedes-EQ's model offensive strategy.

"Mercedes-Benz Malaysia will introduce a line of fully electric premium models to define future mobility. This is in line with Mercedes-Benz's global strategy to switch to fully electric vehicles by the end of the decade where market conditions allow. Therefore, we are fully committed to investing in our local infrastructure together with PDB and EVC to encourage the use of EVs among drivers in Malaysia," said Jopp.

EVC Managing Director Ir Lee Yuen How said he had always believed that Malaysia could adopt and integrate EVs, and this cooperation is a welcoming start. "With a clear policy from the government, we believe that next year will be the starting point for the adoption of EVs in Malaysia. This collaboration is a significant step forward to support Malaysia in its transition to EVs as part of the country's mission to implement Low Carbon Mobility Framework (LCMB)."

Generally, DC fast chargers with 350kw of power can fully charge EVs in about 15 minutes (if the vehicle allows it). One of the fastest DC chargers available in Malaysia is the 180kW DC fast charger, which should provide an 80% charge in 30 minutes (if the vehicle allows it). Unfortunately, Petronas and co did not mention which capacity DC chargers they will be installing.