Tesla’s collaboration with Malaysia will help country become a major green tech hub in the region – Zafrul

Earlier this month, it was indicated that Tesla had reportedly scrapped plans to build a factory in the region, be it in Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia. leading many to ask if the privileges given to Tesla by Malaysia under the MITI BEV Global Leaders AP programme has all been in vain.

Despite there being no indication of vehicle assembly being part of the final equation, the investment by the automaker in the country is still significant, as shown by elements of the collaboration, said minister of investment, trade and industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.

Following a meeting with Tesla representatives yesterday, the MITI minister highlighted via a Facebook post the scope of investments made by the company so far.

“Until the end of July 2024, Tesla has successfully installed 52 units of Supercharger chargers with a capacity of 250 kW, 54 units of Wall Connector AC chargers and more than 4,500 units of home chargers in Peninsular Malaysia. With an investment reaching USD13.5 million (RM59 million), Tesla shows a strong commitment to the development of EV charging infrastructure in our country,” he wrote in his post.

“We also discussed the great potential of battery energy storage technology, which is expected to contribute to the improvement of energy efficiency and stability of the Malaysian electricity grid. This technology has the potential to reduce energy costs and strengthen our national energy infrastructure,” he added.

“In addition, Tesla also emphasises support for the local ecosystem by involving nine Malaysian companies in the development of EV charging infrastructure as well as collaboration with local higher education institutions for knowledge transfer and human capital development. This collaboration is expected to drive Malaysia as a major green technology hub in the region,” he said.

However, Zafrul did not reveal if he had brought up the issue of whether the EV maker ever had any plans to pursue a production plant in Southeast Asia.

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