146 - MITI wants an EV Levy to fund chargers. But will it actually help?

MITI is proposing an EV Levy on new electric vehicles to help fund EV charger deployment in Malaysia. But is funding really the problem?In this episode of SoyaCincau Let’s Talk About, we discuss why an EV Levy may not solve Malaysia’s EV charging infrastructure challenges. While demand for EVs continues to grow, charger deployment is being held back by lengthy approvals, grid connections and red tape.On average, it can take around 14 months to get an EV charger up and running along highways in Malaysia. In some cases, high-powered DC chargers have already been installed but remain unable to operate for more than a year.So instead of introducing another levy on EVs, should Malaysia focus on fixing the processes that are slowing down charger deployment in the first place?We discuss the proposed EV Levy, the real challenges faced by charge point operators (CPOs), and what needs to change if Malaysia wants to accelerate its EV charging infrastructure.