One-third of HDB Car Parks to Get EV Chargers This Year
Singapore. The first batch of six EV charging points under the LTA large-scale tender became fully operational starting on 22 February.
These charging points are located in Telok Blangah and Boon Lay. Each public car park has three charging points.
The charging points are operated by ChargEco and Charge+.
According to Transport Minister S Iswaran, the deployment of the first batch of chargers is a vital development in the country’s effort to encourage people to buy electric vehicles.
More from OMY: The Cheapest Cars in Singapore That You Can Buy
“As we all know, one of the concerns is around what is called range anxiety, where the question is ‘Where can I get my next charge?’” Iswaran said.
“By making charging points ubiquitous across the island, especially in our HDB (car parks), we hope to eliminate that range anxiety and therefore encourage greater adoption,” he added.
A single charge can last around five days, based on the average 48 km. mileage per day. The charging points are also slow charge.
Drivers who want to look for the nearest charging point can just check the MyTransport.SG app.
By the end of 2023, over 2,000 charging points covering over 700 HDB car parks will be deployed. Singapore’s goal is to have at least 12,000 EV charging points by 2025, according to LTA.
Currently, there are over 3,600 EV charging points all over the island.
Last year, electric cars comprised 11.8% of all new car registration. Currently, Singapore has over 6,5000 registered electric cars, and almost 10,000 EVs including other vehicle classes.
“We’ve seen a very significant increase in adoption rate…I think it’s a combination of factors including the fact that many commuters or buyers have assessed and arrived at the conclusion that there’s a value proposition for electric vehicles as well,” shared Iswaran.
A new subsidiary, EV-Electric Charging Pte Ltd, will oversee the deployment of the EV charging points. According to the LTA, the subsidiary will work with five successful tenderers and government agencies to manage EV charging point deployments.
EV-Electric Charging Pte Ltd will also be in charge of coordinating “the upgrading of supporting electrical infrastructure for EV charging.”
It’s worth noting that the type of car park can affect whether or not it will be part of the initiative.
“Surface car parks, multi-storey car parks, newer car parks where there’s sufficient electrical infrastructure, older ones which may not quite have it,” said Iswaran.
“So we need to find the ways to solve these problems, because they become a template for the subsequent implementation. So this initial period is an important one in that regard.”
More from OMY: How To Buy A Car In Singapore: Guide To Owning Your First Car
