Malaysian guidelines for EV charging bays detailed in GPP EVCB – planning and design, processes listed
Last month, prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government would improve the approval process for the construction of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, with the guidelines on electric vehicle charging bays (GPP EVCB) set to aid that.
The 74-page document, released by the federal department of town and country planning (JPBD), is presently available for viewing on PlanMalaysia’s myTOWN.net portal. It is intended to provide state and local authorities as well as stakeholders a set of parameters to plan, design and construct EVCBs.
The GPP EVCB outlines the planning and design requirements for EVCBs in both existing and new buildings and developments, as well as fire safety requirements and local government procedures that need to be adhered to. Some elements of the GPP EVCB were highlighted by the department in its short presentation of it at the International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition and Conference Malaysia (IGEM) in KLCC earlier today.
Locations where EVCBs can be installed include strata and non-strata housing, industrial and commercial areas as well as institutions, petrol stations and rest and service (R&R) areas. They can be placed outside and inside buildings, as well as on the rooftop level.
For AC charging bays (up to 22kW rating), there are no placement limitations in multi-storey applications, and these can be built at all indoor levels where parking is situated. For DC chargers, there are specifics to where they can be placed indoors in a multi-storey building, independent of the number of floors for parking.
Here, the installation of DC chargers are permitted only on the ground and the first two upper levels of parking, and for basement parking, only on the first level below ground. This is to satisfy fire safety requirements, in line with Bomba’s guidelines for EV charging station installations unveiled a few months ago.
The document also states that EVCBs must be situated away from stairs or emergency exits so that they do not obstruct exit routes in case of an emergency, and lists a size requirement for bays built in new developments, needing to be 2.5 metres wide and six metres long, adding a metre in width for a disabled-friendly charging bay.
Additionally, for new multi-storey residential and commercial developments, the guidelines state that a minimum of 2% of the total parking space must be allocated as EVCBs. For residential developments, a minimum of one EVCB must be placed in visitor parking, while for commercial developments a minimum of one EVCB has to be disabled-friendly.
A minimum of one electric motorcycle charging bay per building is also required for new developments, both residential and commercial. As for existing developments, the guidelines only state that the number of EVCBs should be based on demand, and by the sound of it, there is no requirement for any party to comply with that suggestion.
The document also lists the timeframe for application and approval process (seven days for AC, 14 days for DC), as well as the procedural steps required for EVCB installations, from application to installation. You can download the GPP EVCB document here.
What do you think of the guidelines as stated in the document? Does it cover most of the bases? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
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