Channel NewsAsia 25 Oct 18;
SINGAPORE: SP Group announced on Thursday (Oct 25) that it will build 1,000 electric vehicle charging points by 2020, double the initial target it made in June.
In addition, one-quarter of the 1,000 charging points will be extra high-powered, to support upcoming electric vehicle models with bigger battery capacities and longer driving ranges. These chargers will have power ratings of as high as 350kW, said SP in a news release.
The company previously said that it will build 50kW DC chargers which can fully charge a car in 30 minutes.
The charging points will be located at shopping malls, residential areas, business parks and industrial sites, as well as close to coffee shops and food outlets, said SP.
It added that it plans to extend such charging services to a wider range of vehicles in future, including larger commercial vehicles such as buses and other heavy-duty vehicles.
For now, major users of SP's electric vehicle charging network include drivers from Grab and HDT Singapore Taxi.
The energy and utilities company on Thursday also announced a partnership in which it will support HDT with all its vehicle charging needs for the next 10 years.
HDT, Singapore's largest electric taxi operator, plans to grow its fleet to 800 electric taxis by 2022, and it may be including newer electric vehicle models in their fleet.
“By developing Singapore’s largest and fastest electric vehicle charging network, it will enable greater adoption of electric vehicles, helping our customers to go green, while saving energy and cost," said Mr Wong Kim Yin, group chief executive officer of SP Group.
"The significant reduction in carbon emissions will also support Singapore’s Climate Action Plan,” he added.
Source: CNA/ic(gs)
SP Group to double electric vehicle charging points to 1,000 by 2020, will include higher-powered chargers
CYNTHIA CHOO Today Online 25 Oct 18;
SINGAPORE — Energy utilities provider SP Group will double the number of electric vehicle charging points to 1,000 across the island by 2020, creating the largest and fastest charging network in the Republic.
Of the 1,000 charging points, 250 will be high-powered direct current (DC) chargers that charge at a rate of up to 350kW, which can fully charge a car in as fast as 10 minutes or gain a range of about 200km, depending on the make of the car.
These new extra high-powered chargers will be able to support upcoming electric vehicle models with bigger battery capacities and longer driving ranges, SP Group said in a news release on Thursday (Oct 25).
The rest of its network will run on alternating current (AC) chargers.
The company first announced its plan to install 500 charging points in June this year, 30 of which will be operational by the end of the year.
Group chief executive of SP Group Wong Kim Yin said: “Developing Singapore’s largest and fastest electric vehicle charging network will enable greater adoption of electric vehicles, helping customers to go green, while saving energy and cost”.
The energy utilities provider has also partnered with HDT Singapore Taxi (HDT) – the largest electric taxi operator in Singapore – to provide charging services for HDT’s fleet, the two companies announced on Thursday in a joint release.
Currently, HDT has more than 100 cabs in its fleet, and is expected to increase the number to at least 800 by 2022 – a requirement after it was granted a taxi service operator licence, effective in August this year.
In the joint statement on Thursday, SP Group said it will provide HDT with “all its vehicle-charging needs for the next 10 years”.
HDT said this partnership will allow it to focus its resources on optimising its core taxi operations and enhancing service to consumers.
HDT’s managing director James Ng said: “(The charging network) will provide our drivers with greater convenience and flexibility as they plan their driving routes, enabling them to stay longer on the roads to serve Singaporean customers.”
“(Our drivers) can drive with better peace of mind, knowing that these charging points are within easy reach islandwide, when it is time to charge their EVs,” he added.
Earlier in August, ride-hailing giant Grab also announced that it would be rolling out 200 new electric vehicles, which will tap on SP Group’s fast-charging network.
The charging points will be located at shopping malls, residential areas, business parks, industrial sites and close to coffee shops and food outlets.
SP Group also plans to extend its charging services to a wider range of vehicles, including buses and heavy-duty vehicles.
SP Group’s charging points will significantly expand the electric vehicle charging network in Singapore, joining others from Greenlots and Red Dot Power, which are already in the market.
SP Group to double electric vehicle charging points to 1,000
Christopher Tan Straits Times 25 Oct 18;
SINGAPORE - SP Group is speeding up the installation of electric vehicle charging points, saying on Thursday (Oct 25) that it will roll out 1,000 such points by 2020 - double the number it announced in June.
A quarter of those new charging points, or 250, will be high-powered direct current chargers. These 50kw chargers will be able to fully charge a car in as little as 30 minutes - compared with up to eight hours for normal chargers.
SP Group said there will also be some "extra-high-powered chargers" of up to 350kw, which will be able to support more powerful electric models with longer driving ranges, and be able to charge up a passenger car in as quickly as 10 minutes. It added that it plans to extend charging services to a wider range of vehicles, including buses and trucks.
SP Group head of strategic development Goh Chee Kiong told The Straits Times that the lack of charging infrastructure was "a huge bottleneck" to electric vehicle adoption, and that is why "we're making this huge investment... so that Singaporeans can have access to electric mobility as soon as possible".
SP Group, however, would not reveal the investment sum, citing "competitive reasons".
Hyundai agent Komoco - which was the first to offer a mass market electric car here - has said that the cost of a normal charger is around $5,000, and the cost of a fast one is around $65,000.
But industry watchers expect prices to be lower if more are installed.
SP Group said the first chargers - a mix of 30 normal and high-powered ones - will be operational by the end of this year.
All the charging points will be located at "convenient locations nationwide, such as shopping malls, residential areas, business parks and industrial sites, as well as close to coffee shops and food outlets". Each location will have "two to six" charging points.
SP Group technical officer Muhammad Ismadi Kamsani, 29, charging an electric vehicle from a charging point, on June 19, 2018.
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Mr Goh said talks were ongoing with government agencies to introduce them to Housing Board carparks.
SP Group was not ready to reveal charging prices, but said they would be higher than household electricity tariffs because of the capital investment involved in setting up the public chargers. The vast majority of these points would be accessible to the public, Mr Goh noted.
Asked whether Singapore's power grid would be able to cope with the proliferation of electric vehicles, Mr Goh said: "In the near term, there will be no impact on the power grid. But in the mid to longer term, as we scale up the number of charging points... that consideration becomes serious."
Studies elsewhere have shown that even if the overall electric vehicle population remains relatively small, a high concentration in any one neighbourhood can cause electrical surges and put a strain on the grid.
Meanwhile, SP Group has tied up with electric taxi firm HDT to "support... Singapore's largest electric taxi operator, on all its vehicle charging needs for the next 10 years".
HDT plans to grow its fleet to 800 electric taxis by 2022.
In August, SP Group had a similar tie-up with ride-hailing company Grab, which will bring in 200 battery-powered cars from next year.
According to Land Transport Authority figures, Singapore’s electric fleet remained small as at end-September with 443 electric cars and 323 plug-in petrol-electric hybrids. The total car population stood at 614,292.
Among taxis, only 97 out of 21,279 were electric. And only two out of 136,588 motorbikes were battery-operated.
Among bus and goods vehicles, only 42 out of 160,150 were electric.
