Well before the first Tesla electric cars are delivered to their customers in Malaysia, the carmaker is already setting up charging stations for them. While the brand was launched in July, first deliveries will of the Model Y, currently the only model available, will only start in 2024.
First Supercharger stations in Pavilion KL
In the meantime, the company will be setting up the charging stations which are known as Superchargers. The first cluster is in basement 1 of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and the bank of 8 Superchargers can now be used.
Although there was some question about whether charging stations (especially the more powerful DC types, which the Superchargers are) can be installed in underground basement carparks, this would seem to now be answered. The last we heard, Bomba (Fire & Rescue Department) had formulated guidelines for EV installations and submitted them to the Ministry of Housing & Local Government.
For existing Tesla owners
While there are no Teslas officially imported yet, there are a number already on the roads which were sold earlier by private importers. Owners of these cars will now be able to enjoy the integrated support with the mobile app which enables owners to access the high-speed charging station and have real-time monitoring of charger availability, charging status, payment, and technical support, etc.
Similar to those in other countries, the Supercharger units are the V3 generation with a peak efficiency of 250 kW supply. This will enable a Model Y to ‘fill up’ with energy for up to 270 kms within 15 minutes.
RM1.25 per kWh
Owners will be charged RM1.25 per kWh and the payment is made via the app which is linked to the Tesla account of the owner.
There is an ‘idle fee’ of RM2 or RM4 a minute, depending on whether the station is 50% or 100% occupied. This charge will be applied if the car is not removed within 5 minutes after charging has finished, so owners will have to pay attention to their app or set a reminder. You do, of course, have also to pay the parking fees at the shopping mall.
Designed and made by Tesla
The Superchargers (which Tesla designed and makes itself) are obviously intended for use by Tesla owners. It is not known if Tesla Malaysia will permit use of the Superchargers by non-Tesla models.
In the USA, Tesla has agreed to support a government initiative (which gets them some federal funding) by allowing at least 3,500 Superchargers to be accessible by other brands, However, this will only start from the end of 2024.
Will non-Teslas be allowed?
If Tesla is also interested in supporting the Malaysian government’s target of 10,000 charging points (1,000 of which are to be DC chargers) by 2025, then it might also allow some to be used by all brands. This is possible as the Superchargers in Malaysia have CCS2 connection ports which are used by models (especially the newer ones).of other brands.
Supercharger network on west coast
The Supercharger network will have around a dozen locations along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, mainly in the Klang Valley.
Other areas will be in Penang, Perak, Negri Sembilan and Johor. Nothing seems to be planned for the East Coast or East Malaysia at this time.
Globally, Tesla has the world’s largest fast charging network with over 45,000 Superchargers and 5,265 Supercharging stations.