The Go To-U EV Charging Hub at RekaScape in Cyberjaya, officially launched in January, has finally ended its free trial period at 6.00am today (10th March 2023). EV owners that plan to use the DC chargers will have to start paying for them and it is calculated based on kWh utilised.
According to the Go To-U app, these chargers that can output a maximum of 30kW or 60kW per nozzle will be charged at a rate of RM1.60 per kWh. To activate or make a booking, you’ll have to use the Go To-U app ( Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and you’re also able to reserve a charging slot up to 7 days in advance.
With this kWh-based rate, getting 30kWh worth of charge would cost you RM48, and that’s enough to top up an additional 50% charge for a BYD Atto 3 which has a 60.5kWh battery. Depending on the charging rate you’re getting, it will take 30 minutes if you can get the maximum 60kW rate or 60 minutes if the nozzle only pushes a maximum of 30kW.
The benefit of kWh-based pricing is that you will be paying based on electricity used instead of parking time, which is a more equitable and fair way to pay for EV charging. This method of calculation makes more sense as the actual kW charging rate depends on the vehicle’s maximum supported DC charging speed as well as the state of charge.
At the moment, Go To-U’s rate of RM1.60 per kWh is on the high side considering Gentari is currently charging a promotional price of RM1.00 per kWh for its 60kW, 90kW and 120kW chargers at select locations and RM1.20 per kWh for its 350kW DC fast charger at X Park Sunway Serene at Kelana Jaya.
The other DC fast charger in Cyberjaya is Gentari’s 40kW charger at Petronas Persiaran APEC which has a time-based rate of RM1.00 per minute. Assuming that you can charge your EV at a constant rate of 40kW for an hour, that’s RM60 for about 40kWh of charge (RM1.50 per kWh), which is only slightly more affordable than Go To-U’s charger.
In case you missed it, TNB Electron chargers located at highway R&Rs have also started charging for usage of their EV chargers. Unlike Go To-U’s charging hub, TNB is pricing the chargers based on time which starts from RM2.05 per minute for the 80kW charger and it goes all the way up to RM2.35 per minute for the 100kW charger.
Related reading
- TNB Electron EV DC fast chargers at Highway R&Rs no longer free, priced from RM2.05 per minute
- Budget 2023: New EV incentives that were not announced in Parliament, tax-free CKD EVs until 2027
- Must have EV Charging apps in Malaysia | SoyaCincau’s EV Buyer’s Guide
- EV DC fast charging in Malaysia: kWh vs time-based charging, which is cheaper?
