Johor EV charging fire: Company operating site not licensed

PUTRAJAYA: The company that operated the electric vehicle charging systems bay in Johor which caught fire on Dec 31, was found to be operating without a licence by the Energy Commission.

The commission said the Electricity Supply Act 1990 (Act 447) and the Electricity Regulations 1994 provided that energy supply activities from any installation must be carried out by obtaining a valid licence.

In the Dec 31 incident, a Mercedes-Benz EQB model caught fire while charging at a car showroom in Tampoi, Johor.

The fire destroyed about 5% of the premises and 20% of the charging bay.

"The responsible party and the company will be called to assist in the investigation," the commission said in a statement today, adding that it had opened investigations to identify the cause of the incident.

The commission said no injuries were reported in the incident.

On Dec 16, 2022, the commission was reported to have proposed that charging point operators involved in the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure immediately obtain a valid public distribution licence for electric vehicle charging installations in the country, including those already in operation, by March 31 last year.