TENAGA 5347 TENAGA NASIONAL BHD to set up charging points for EVs along PLUS highways

 TENAGA 5347 TENAGA NASIONAL BHD to set up charging points for EVs along PLUS highways

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 2): Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) will build electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure along the North-South Expressway, as part of its collaboration with PLUS Malaysia Bhd, TNB President and Chief Executive Officer Datuk Baharin Din said on Tuesday (Aug 2).

The utility firm is investing RM90 million to support the EV ecosystem over a span of three years.

“TNB aims to accelerate the battery electric vehicle (BEV) adoption to capture the RM1.3 billion market value by 2030, and welcomes collaboration with strategic partners to stimulate the growth of the BEV ecosystem,”  he said at an editors’ media briefing here on Tuesday.

In March this year, TNB and PLUS announced that they were collaborating to reduce carbon emissions on PLUS highways through sustainability initiatives.

In a joint statement released then, both parties said the initiatives involved the development of a network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, the installation of energy efficiency monitoring and solar photovoltaic systems at selected rest and relaxation (R&R) areas along the PLUS highway network.

Besides PLUS, Baharin said TNB is also in talks with highway operators, as well as federal road authorities under the Public Works Department.

He said the EV market has a potential for 3,300 charging points for 33,350 BEVs on the road by 2025, with an annual electricity revenue of RM80 million, which is set to increase to 18,000 charging points for 524,409 BEVs on the road and an annual electricity revenue of RM1.25 billion by 2030.

“By 2030, we forecast half a million EVs to be on the road with 2.3 TWh of electricity charging requirements, valued at RM1.26 billion. This also means 4.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions reduction by taking internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles off the road,” he added.

The potential positive impact on both climate and the company’s bottom line makes the development of the EV ecosystem a clear priority for TNB, he explained.

On top of building the charging infrastructure, TNB will also be providing upskilling and reskilling courses for the EV industry, the electrification of about 4,200 of TNB’s own fleet of vehicles, sponsoring EV-related studies and fostering coalitions among EV sector players, such as  ZEVA (Zero Emission Vehicle Association).

http://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/tnb-set-charging-points-evs-along-plus-highways