A RECENT video published on Facebook highlights the unexpected challenges users of electric vehicles are facing in some parts of the world, with some people getting ready to roll up their sleeves and enter into a fight to seize the charging equipment from others.
While this story is incredible, there have been previous cases, like during China’s National Day Golden Week holiday in 2021 when a story went viral about the challenges some families faced in finding charging points for battery electric vehicles (BEV).
Social media platforms were flooded with complaints from frustrated drivers who had to endure hours of waiting for their turn at charging stations, turning a regular eight-hour journey into an exhausting 16-hour ordeal.
Another viral post captured a fight between two couples over a charging port. The situation underscored the major drawback of BEVs – the lengthy charging time, exacerbated during peak travel seasons.
In a recent Facebook video, apparently from China, Malaysians are commenting that this situation is bound to happen here too.
“Coming soon to Malaysia: Lots of EV, not enough charger!” the post noted, accompanied by a video showing two men fighting over the charging hose.
Most of those who commented on the video are saying the long hours of traffic jams in the country during peak hours and national and religious holidays will create such conflicts among drivers of EVs.
Earlier on March 29, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the government is targeting a total of 1.5 million electric vehicles (EVs) in the country by 2040.
He also added that Malaysia aims to install 10,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging points by 2025 through the Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint.
Moreover, more than 10,000 registered EVs in the country and 900 public EV chargers as of now.
To boost the number of EV vehicles on the roads, the government will put into effect a new road tax structure for EVs after the current road tax exemption period for EVs ends, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
Loke stated that this was to ensure EV users are not unnecessarily burdened.
“In 2022, the Finance Ministry provided a three-year road tax exemption to EV users, which will end in 2025, but many people (EV users) are worried that road tax charges will be very high once this exemption ends. We did a study on the road tax (charges), and we have tabled it to the EV task force for a more affordable tax,” Loke said.
“We will announce the road tax structure before the end of the year, which will only come into effect after the tax exemption period ends in 2025 unless the finance ministry wants to extend it.” – Nov 12, 2023
