Singapore-Malaysia cross-border EV charging network launched

Singapore’s piped town gas provider, City Energy, is building a seamless, Singapore-Malaysia Electric Vehicle (EV) charging network that will cost in the region of $100 million, rolled out over the next eight years. The plan was announced today at the unveiling of a bank of new EV chargers at a private residential condominium in Singapore, the Parc Botannia situated in Sengkang. 

Under its subsidiary brand, Go by City Energy, the firm has partnered with Malaysian operator EV Connection Sdn. Bhd. to extend charging connectivity into Malaysia, with initial roll-out along the North-South Highway.

What’s of real interest here is that the Go by City Energy system is operated and billed entirely with a smartphone app. The single app doesn’t charge any subscription fees, but requires registration. It works in both Malaysia and Singapore, and bills you on a monthly cycle. It is being promoted as one of the easiest to use charging networks that spans two countries. 

For now though, City Energy Go has a plan to outfit as many private condominium developments in Singapore with EV charging capabilities as possible. Through its piped gas operations, City Energy already has a strong working relationship with many real estate developers and it is leveraging these ties to get a leg up into making more condominiums EV-friendly.

If you’re looking out for a new place of residence and want EV charging available in thee car park, these are the 12 condominium estates that will have them first, as installed by City Energy:

Go by City Energy’s chief executive officer Perry Ong explained that the company’s initial installations will focus on private residential estates and commercial buildings, before expanding to other facilities. The incentive for developers is that the costs and maintenance of the chargers will be borne entirely by City Energy.

“The plan is to have a sharing ratio of 1:5. That is, we will work with condominium management to see how many EVs are there in any given estate, and work to have one charger for every five electric vehicles in the residence,” Ong explained.

The installation of chargers in commercial buildings in Singapore will be especially important for Malaysian vehicles, as visiting EVs from Malaysia will not have access to the chargers in private condominiums, and the cross-border system will not be fully integrated until this happens. 

At the Parc Botannia estate where the launch event took place, there are already five EV chargers installed and primed for launch. However it’s worth nothing that at the moment four are AC slow chargers and only one is a DC fast charger. It’s not all bad however, as 22kW AC chargers these days can charge a car from empty to 80 percent in around three hours. 

There are also studies that suggest continued DC fast charging can degrade a battery’s capacity and lifespan quicker than normal.

In Singapore, Go’s 22kW AC charging costs 51 cents per kWh, and 50kWh DC chargers are rated at 55 cents per kWh. In Malaysia, charging prices are set at RM1.20 per minute for 50kW DC chargers, and depending on location, RM2.00 to RM3.00 per hour for 7kW AC chargers.

Chargers by City Energy are set to be installed in commercial buildings like shopping malls as well, though Ong did not confirm where they would be located for now.

In Peninsula Malaysia, City Energy’s partner EV Connection, under the JomCharge network, has set up 14 EV charging stations set up along the North-South Highway. Founder of EV Connection, Lee Yuen How, told us that there will be another 50 charging facilities rolled out along the highway and across to the East coast of Peninsula Malaysia by the end of 2022.

However he also noted that there are presently electrical and technical limitations that do not allow EV Connection to install more than one charging station at each petrol station. 

Still, the good news is that the Go smartphone app works on both sides of the Causeway, and you can see immediately whether a charging station is in use or not before you get there.

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It’s also one of the many steps that energy providers are taking to bring EV convenience into private residences, with early adopters Charge+ first hopping onboard in mid 2021. In time and with enough mass, this will mean that electric vehicle owners may never need to visit a public charging or service station for the life of the car.

The Go by City Energy app can be found on the Google Play store.

ALSO READ: The best executive EVs in Singapore

This article was first published in CarBuyer.