Recently, Singapore inaugurated its initial fast chargers for electric vehicles (EVs) at Housing Board open-air carparks, in response to the increasing number of EVs on the city-state’s roads. The chargers, managed by various operators, are situated at open-air carparks in Bedok Reservoir, Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, and Boon Lay.
With the fastest chargers capable of adding as much as 100km of range in just 10 minutes, these installations aim to provide convenience to EV drivers in need of a quick recharge.
In the next six months, plans are underway to deploy at least another 14 fast chargers in open-air carparks. Most EV chargers currently at HDB carparks are slow and primarily intended for overnight charging. The decision to introduce fast chargers in open-air carparks is a departure from the norm, as these sites typically lack the infrastructure to support such charging capabilities.
Operators cite challenges related to laying cables to draw power from electric substations due to existing underground pipes, utilities, and telecommunication lines.
Charge+, one of the operators, marked the official launch of the first fast-charging station at an HDB open-air carpark on April 16 at Boon Lay Place Market, with the station being operational since February.
Step by step, the goal is to introduce six more fast chargers at carparks in Beach Road, Bukit Merah, Bukit Panjang, Ghim Moh, Jurong East, and Kallang Bahru by mid-2025.
Shell Recharge and SP Mobility also entered the field by launching fast chargers at open-air carparks in locations such as Block 631 Bedok Reservoir Road, Block 6 Hougang Avenue 3, and Block 225 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. In a similar vein, ChargEco plans to progressively activate fast chargers at eight open-air carparks between July and October, including popular hawker centres in the area.
While most EV chargers at HDB carparks are rated at 7.4 kilowatts (kW) and take more than two hours to dispense the same amount of electricity that a 120kW fast charger can in 10 minutes, operators emphasize the need for access and convenience for EV drivers, especially those with high daily mileages. Cost implications are also a factor, with the rates for using fast chargers being higher than for slow chargers.
Mr. Goh Chee Kiong, chief executive of Charge+, underlined the company’s commitment to enhancing accessibility for EV drivers and the preference for quieter fast charger models near residential blocks. ChargEco’s general manager, Richard Chin, echoed the government’s strategy of situating fast chargers in locations frequented by fleet drivers during breaks.
As the adoption of EVs rises in Singapore, the industry is witnessing a surge in charging point usage, correlating with the increasing number of EV registrations, which now constitute 33.6% of all new car registrations.
Singapore aims to have every HDB car park equipped with EV chargers by the end of 2025. As of now, there are approximately 5,771 charging points in public carparks, according to EV-electric, the Land Transport Authority subsidiary overseeing the deployment of EV charges.
