TNB Electron has just turned on its new EV charging station at Petron Batu Melintang in Jeli, Kelantan. It is the first EV charging station within the Gerik-Jeli Highway (JRTB) route, which is one of the essential highways connecting the East and West Coasts of Peninsular Malaysia.
Equipped with 3 charging bays, the new TNB Electron Petron Batu Melintang is capable of supporting a DC charging speed of up to 240kW. The charging fee is RM1.50 per kWh, but EV owners can charge their vehicle for free from today until 11:59 PM tomorrow, 22 October.
To activate the charger, all you need to do is select the correct charger number on the JuiceUp card payment terminal, choose the pre-authorisation amount that you prefer, and then tap your credit/debit card. As this location is equipped with a card payment terminal, this means TNB Electron Petron Batu Melintang does not support the Go To-U app.
Making Gerik-Jeli Highway more feasible for EVs
Having an EV charging station with substantial power capacity at Jeli is a great start to make the JRTB more accessible to EVs. Without the new EV charging station, the nearest DC charging station to the JRTB on the East Coast part of the route is the TNB Electron Petron Selising, which is over 90km away from Petron Batu Melintang.
Things are slightly better if you start your journey from the West Coast because several EV chargers that you can access especially if you start the journey from either Sungai Petani or Kulim. Nevertheless, the TNB Electron Petron Batu Melintang still plays an important role because without it, there is still some distance you need to cover before you can top up your EV at Petron Selising.
Meanwhile, we also hope that Charge Point Operators (CPOs) would consider not only adding more chargers at Jeli but also establishing new charging stations at other suitable locations within JRTB to help address range anxiety among EV owners who want to travel through the route. One of the locations that CPOs might want to look into immediately would be Gerik town, which is a popular rest stop among JRTB users.
While we are at it, we would like to advise fellow EV owners to exercise extreme caution when using JRTB, regardless of whether you are an experienced or first-time user. This is because the 43-year-old highway not only has twisty roads but plenty of other challenges, including low visibility during certain weather conditions, rough surfaces in many areas, and wild animals.
