KUALA LUMPUR: Kempower, a leading electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging solutions provider from Finland, is advocating a modular and data-driven approach to deployment of EV chargers.
The company recently pointed out that with EV adoption gaining momentum across Southeast Asia, the focus is shifting beyond infrastructure rollout toward long-term performance and profitability.
Central to this is charger utilisation, a critical but often underestimated factor that determines the commercial success of charging networks.
While upfront investment remains important, profitability for charge point operators (CPOs) is ultimately driven by utilisation rates.
Many charging sites underperform not due to lack of demand, but due to factors such as suboptimal location planning, oversized infrastructure, and inconsistent user experience.
Sites with more charging points tend to achieve stronger utilisation, as drivers prioritise certainty and minimal wait times.
Insights from more mature markets such as Norway show that driver behavior is shaped less by maximum charging speed and more by availability and convenience.
This may sound counterintuitive — drivers are not always seeking ultra-fast charging, but instead prefer to spend charging time shopping or simply taking a break.
Kempower says rather than overbuilding capacity upfront, operators can start with optimised configurations and scale progressively based on real demand.
This reduces capital expenditure risks while enabling a faster path to profitability.
Kempower’s solutions are designed with this flexibility in mind, allowing both power and the number of charging points to be expanded over time.
This ensures networks can adapt to evolving usage patterns while maintaining high uptime and a seamless user experience.
“Malaysia is a key market in Southeast Asia’s electrification journey. We see strong momentum driven by supportive policies, growing industry collaboration, and increasing consumer interest,” said Kempower director of new markets Carlo Cecchi recently at a briefing in Kuala Lumpur.
He shared insights into charging trends, regional expansion plans, and the importance of aligning infrastructure strategies with real-world driver behavior.
“Data across global markets consistently shows that increasing the number of charging points has a stronger impact on utilisation than simply increasing power output,” added Cecchi.
“Ultimately, drivers value accessibility, reliability, and ease of use. Being able to charge without waiting is often more important than charging at the highest possible speed.”
