Indonesia Gets Tesla Factory (Maybe), Malaysia Can Have Tesla Superchargers

With the invite extended to Tesla to set up an vehicle/battery manufacturing concern in Malaysia seemingly swept under the rug, the EV maker is seemingly open to furnishing us with a network of rapid charging stations.

Using a proprietary connector and branded Supercharger, Tesla’s dominant position as an early industry entry as a purely electric automaker has cemented the widespread availability of their premium charging network, one that has coverage across major metropolitan areas in the United States and now some parts of Europe.

Tesla Supercharger in Malaysia?

Though we probably cannot sway the company away from establishing a new gigafactory in Indonesia, having (and building up) a network of Superchargers at key locations throughout the country can only work towards the electrified future reality the government seems so keen to expedite.

In a tweet by Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) CEO Arham Abdul Rahman speaks of his recent meeting in Washington D.C with Tesla’s head of federal policy, Hasan Nazar, to discuss their plans for the Asia Pacific region.

Insofar as our country was concerned, Tesla’s priority seemed to be surrounding the support of existing owners by delivering convenient and accessible fast-charging solutions, though the details of which were not disclosed further.

Will Tesla officially come to Malaysia?

With this supposed interest in a charging network, it does also imply that it is now more likely that the EV brand should start offering/distributing their cars for sale to the Malaysian market in an official capacity.

Currently, certain models of Tesla cars are only available in small numbers through grey market imports and special leasing programmes. Singapore is the closest country in which Tesla conducts sales operations, which has been ongoing since early 2021, so such a proposed Supercharger network in Malaysia will be partially catering to them as well.

In the island nation, though, Supercharger stations are equipped with the more universally supported CCS (Combined Charging System) connector instead of the proprietary connector found in North America. This may allow cars from other makes to replenish their battery reserves from the 250kW/270kW fast charger….at least in theory.

Currently, users of a Supercharger will be charged approximately RM1.52 ($0.48 SGD) per kilowatt-hour while idle fees will range from RM1.60 ($0.50 SGD) to RM3.17 ($1 SGD) per minute when the station is being fully utilised.