SINGAPORE – Local EV charging network operator Charge+ announced the completion of its first wave of EV chargers tendered by the Singapore government. 

To mark this milestone, Charge+ held an event at one of its charging points with a special significance, with the guest of honour Senior Minister of State and an MP for Punggol Pasir Ris, Dr Janil Puthucheary.

“The event today marks another important milestone in Singapore’s transition to EVs. This the first ever government tender conducted by LTA and URA was intended to be a pilot phase for the agencies to develop the processes for faster implementation of EV charging stations in public carparks, particularly HDB carparks.

''With the data from charging operators like Charge+, the agencies are also better able to plan for all our HDB carparks to implement EV chargers in the coming few years,” said Dr Puthucheary, in an address. 

“We at Charge+, are simply delighted that we can contribute to the lives and livelihoods of a growing number of Singaporean EV drivers living in the HDB heartlands, by allowing them to charge their EVs right at their doorsteps,” said Charge+ CEO, Mr Goh Chee Kiong, at the event.

The EV wave begins

This constitutes 153 charging points in 50 locations, which include the carparks of five government agencies, but the vast majority (111 chargers) are made up of Housing Development Board (HDB) carparks where the chargers can be used by the public. 

The tender from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Land Transport Authority (LTA) covers all of Singapore. For Charge+ and its partners (more details below), this covers the North and Northeastern regions of the island, and includes the townships of Ang Moh Kio, Hougang, Punggol, Sengkang, Sembawang, Woodlands, and Yishun. 

The event was held at the multi-storey carpark on 603 Punggol Road for a specific reason: It’s the most utilised charging point of all the current HDB charge points in the North-Northeast region. 

At the event were a range of EVs, including a BYD T3 van, two MG 5 taxis, two passenger cars comprising a Tesla Model 3, and a Polestar 2. According to Charge+, it reflects the diverse usage of EV charging stations.

“We also see a diversity in the EVs parked in HDB carparks and they include taxis, private hire vehicles, logistics vehicles and personal vehicles,” said Dr Puthucheary, during his address. The vehicle range also reflects the company’s broad spread of EV charging services:

According to Mr Goh, Charge+ is Singapore’s only comprehensive charging operator serving the public housing, condominium, commercial and industrial building segments. Currently, it has also rolled out EV charging stations to more than 100 condos around Singapore, thanks in part to rebates.

Singapore’s official EV charging network was announced as part of the Green Plan 2030, and the first chargers were set up in February of this year.

As mentioned in that story, Comfort DelGro / Engie for the Central, East, and West of Singapore, while the North and North-East regions are under ‘Primech A&P Pte Ltd and its consortium partners – Charge+ Pte Ltd, Sunseap Group Pte Ltd, and Oyika Pte Ltd’ according the official statements. 

This article was first published in CarBuyer.