TNB Electron: 3D Station Design and Launch Campaign for EV Charging Hubs in Malaysia

Before the rollout, the programme had 3 pilot test sites and each one had been worked out largely on its own.

Repeating that for every new location would have been slow: an average charging-hub fit-out was taking about 12 weeks, because canopy sizes, bollard positions, lighting and signage were being engineered site by site with contractors on the ground.

• The brand problem was just as real. Malaysian EV registrations were growing quickly (public reporting puts growth at about 106% year on year, led by the Klang Valley, Johor Bahru and Penang), but only 18% of Peninsular EV owners recognised TNB Electron as a charge point operator before launch.
• A national utility also carries constraints most brands do not: every station scheme had to clear the Energy Commission (Suruhanjaya Tenaga, ST) and, on highways, the Malaysian Highway Authority (Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia, LLM), and every public claim about the network had to be accurate to the record.

• One modular station kit. Complete 3D station architecture — canopy structures, modular vehicle-bay footprints, bollard placement, lighting and signage specifications — standardised so the same kit could be dropped onto any of the 37 planned DC fast-charging locations, from 80 kW to 200 kW bays.
• Flagship R&R schemes. Unified spatial guidelines for the Ayer Keroh, Tapah, Paka and Machap highway R&R locations, where the network is most visible to long-distance drivers.
• Clearance and safety built into the design. Clearance zones for commercial and passenger EVs, with ST electrical safety enclosures and highway safety guidelines worked into the 3D schemes before they went for technical review, so approval did not depend on redesign later.
• Designed for the driver. Bay layouts with clear manoeuvring paths and eye-level digital payment points, so pulling in, plugging in and paying works without thinking about it.
• The launch itself. High-contrast canopy graphics, roadside wayfinding and launch key visuals, coordinated with the launch activations that introduced TNB Electron as a national EV charging brand.
• A shared 3D reference. The same 3D models served internal engineering teams, civil contractors and marketing — for government presentations, investor updates and public launch media — so every group worked from one picture of the station.

The sketches below are working drafts from the design stage, shown as they were in progress. They are not the final built stations.