THE Penang government is planning to increase the number of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the state.
Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo, who helms the Human Capital Development, Science and Technology portfolio, emphasised the importance of reducing carbon emission from vehicles and addressing the climate crisis through such initiatives.
“As of now, we only have about 19 charging stations. The state government intends to collaborate with the private sector to establish more stations.
“With the coming presence of electric car giant Tesla to Malaysia, it is important for the country as well as Penang to prepare the necessary infrastructure or the facility to cater for EV vehicles.
“After all, we want to expand the EV ecosystem in Penang by installing more EV charging stations. This will be my primary focus under this new portfolio,” Jagdeep told a press conference during his visit to the Taman Free School Market yesterday (Aug 19).
Jagdeep also expressed a hope that more affordable EV vehicles will be produced by car manufacturers to encourage people to opt for EV vehicles.
He added that the state government intends to collaborate with the private sector to incentivise the adoption of EVs and make them more accessible to the public.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Vekenesvaran Magandran