According to Singapore’s “Joint Morning Newspapers” report, on August 26, the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) introduced 20 electric buses, which can be charged for 15 minutes before going on the road. Just a month ago, US electric car maker Tesla was allowed to set up three superchargers in Singapore’s Orchard Central mall, allowing owners to charge their electric cars in as little as 15 minutes. It seems that electric vehicle travel has set off a new trend in Singapore.
Behind this new trend, there is another opportunity hidden – charging pile. At the beginning of this year, the Singapore government released the “2030 Green Plan”, which vigorously promoted the use of electric vehicles. According to the plan, Singapore is expected to add 60,000 charging piles across the island by 2030, of which 40,000 will be located in public parking areas and 20,000 will be located in private places such as apartments. To this end, the Singapore LTA has also launched the Electric Vehicle Common Charger Grant (ECCG, Electric Vehicle Common Charger Grant). Under the background of the new trend of electric vehicle transportation and the active support of the government, how will Singapore’s electric market grow in the future? Maybe it is a good business to come to Singapore to do charging piles?
Government subsidizes charging piles to encourage green travel
In February 2021, the Singapore government released the Green Plan 2030, which outlines Singapore’s green goals for the next 10 years to reduce carbon emissions and achieve sustainable development. Various government departments and agencies have responded in succession: At the level of public travel, the Singapore Land Transport Authority has promised to realize the formation of an all-electric bus fleet by 2040; Singapore MRT Corporation has also announced that in the next five years, all its taxis will be fully Changed to 100% electric taxis, the first batch of 300 electric taxis arrived in Singapore in July this year.
In order to ensure the smooth promotion of electric travel, the setting of charging piles has become an indispensable part. Therefore, in Singapore’s “2030 Green Plan”, an additional plan for charging piles is also proposed, which is mentioned at the beginning: Singapore expects to add 60,000 charging piles across the island by 2030, of which 40,000 will be located in In the public parking area, 20,000 will be located in private places such as apartments.
To this end, LTA has also introduced the Electric Vehicle Common Charger Subsidy (ECCG). Notably, the subsidy primarily encourages the installation of shared EV chargers in non-landed private properties (NLPRs) such as apartments. Please refer to this form for the specific application for the subsidy:
| Scope of application |
Operators of charging piles in non-landed private residential areas (mainly apartments and private condominiums) NLPRs are defined as private developments that include residential units, with the exception of landed properties, shophouses, hotels, hostels, serviced apartments and workers’ dormitories. Chargers must be installed in public areas accessible to NLPRs residents. |
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Number of subsidies |
20,000 charging piles
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Scope of use |
Owners of chargers, whether they are EV charging pile operators or owners of NLPRs (such as management companies for strata title developments), can apply for the ECCG to cover the three upfront cost components of charger installation:
Licensed electrician fees; Wiring and installation costs (capped at $1,000). The ECCG will co-finance 50% of each of the above cost components, subject to the relevant cost component caps and a total cap of $4,000 per charger. |
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Application time |
Beginning July 29, 2021, assessments will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. The ECCG availability date is until December 31, 2023, or after 2,000 chargers are co-funded. |
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Charging pile standard |
ECCG is only for “smart chargers”, which must be able to perform all of the following functions at a minimum:
Ability to monitor and record energy consumption and consumption timestamps, and to transmit; Utilize the Open Charge Point Protocol (version 1.6 or later) to transmit and receive information; The charger must also have a valid LNO (i.e. Application No Objection) issued by a temporary joint team of the Energy Market Authority and the LTA. |
According to the official website of the Singapore Land Transport Authority
After understanding the subsidy policy, charging pile operators should further study the technical standards of Singapore’s electric vehicle charging system and make appropriate assessments of their own operational capabilities. It is understood that the Singapore Electric Vehicle Working Group has announced the adoption of Type 2 AC and Combo-2 DC charging systems as the National Public Charging Standard (NPC), and all charging equipment must comply with the internationally certified TR25 safety standard. On this basis, the Energy Market Authority and the LTA jointly announced the addition of the CHAdeMO charging system as an optional public charging standard for electric vehicles.
CHAdeMO (the acronym for CHArge de MOve) is mainly proposed and adopted by Japanese electric vehicle manufacturers, focusing on fast charging and environmental protection. CHAdeMO DC chargers rated up to 120 kilowatts (kW) can fully charge an electric vehicle in about 30 minutes. EV models equipped with CHAdeMO charging jacks include the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi iMiEV, and Honda Fit EV, among others.
Additionally, to ensure safe use of public charging infrastructure, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) must be equipped with:
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A matching Type 2 vehicle jack (for AC charging only); or
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A Combo-2 vehicle jack (for AC and DC charging); or
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One matching Type 2 vehicle jack (for AC charging) and one CHAdeMO vehicle jack (for DC charging).
The giants are laid out in advance, and the first-mover advantage is obvious
Before entering the Singapore charging pile market, you also need to understand the competitors on the field. From the current point of view, many giants in the transportation and energy industries have already deployed charging-related businesses in Singapore in advance, which can be said to have obvious first-mover advantages. The main charging station operators in Singapore are:
BlueSG:
BlueSG, a subsidiary of French transport company Bollore Group, launched its first 80 shared electric vehicles in Singapore in December 2017. In 2018, BlueSG and NTU jointly released Singapore’s first flash-charging electric shuttle. The vehicle is equipped with a fast charging device, which can be charged in just 20 seconds using the gap between passengers getting on and off the bus. Currently, BlueSG provides 3.7 kW of AC charging, with more than 120 charging sites distributed evenly across Singapore. On July 28, Total has signed an agreement with Bollore Group on the acquisition of Blue Charge. After obtaining relevant approvals, Total will install more than 1,500 charging stations in Singapore, mainly for electric vehicles and BlueSG.
Caltex Caltex:
One of the world’s largest integrated energy companies headquartered in Singapore. Four of its gas stations, in partnership with SP Group, offer 50kW DC fast charging that can charge an electric car in 30 minutes at 46.63 cents/kWh.
Charge+:
As part of solar provider Sunseap, Charge+ plans to build 10,000 charging stations in Singapore by 2030. Now, it has dozens of charging stations offering 7.4kW AC and 60kW DC charging. On June 4, Charge+ announced a partnership with OCBC Bank to launch a suite of holistic charging solutions and financing packages, including free charging credits and low-interest EV loans, to support buyers of Tesla EVs in Singapore. Tesla buyers will enjoy at least six months of free charging at Charge+ stations, which can be extended up to 18 months.
Shell Shell:
The world’s largest oil company, Shell entered the electric vehicle charging field for the first time in Singapore and Southeast Asia with Shell Recharge in 2019. Their site offers 43kW AC and 50kW DC charging that can charge an electric car in 30 minutes for 55 cents/kWh. In addition to this, Shell has also acquired Greenlots, the US leader in electric vehicle charging and energy management software and solutions, with a wide range of sites equipped with 3.7kW, 7.4kW and 22kW AC charging, some of which are even free.
SP Group:
The largest charging company in Singapore, with about 500 charging stations, mainly provides 43kW AC and 50kW DC charging, but there are also some AC charging stations with power ranging from 7.4kW to 22kW. On July 8, SP Group announced a pilot vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology to help the grid achieve power balance. V2G is the abbreviation of Vehicle-to-Grid, it is such a system: when the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or pure electric vehicle is not running, the energy of its battery can be transmitted to the grid; on the contrary, when the electric vehicle needs When charging, the battery can draw power from the grid.
Enterprises respond, and the electric market continues to expand
Although the giants have already laid out in advance, there are still opportunities for new players. After all, many companies are also vigorously promoting electric vehicles. As long as the number of electric vehicles continues to increase, the size of the charging pile market behind them will continue to expand.
The mobility giant, Grab Singapore, announced its 2030 sustainability goals in July this year, and pledged to use its entire clean energy fleet by 2030. As its first step, Grab has launched the JustGrab Green pilot and green program, which offers consumers convenient choice and flexibility to reduce their carbon footprint. Both initiatives have been implemented since July 14, 2021.
JustGrab Green is serviced by a fleet of electric or hybrid vehicles, such as the Hyundai Kona EV, Toyota Prius, Kia Niro Hybrid, etc. are typical examples. Hybrid or electric vehicles can reduce carbon emissions by about 55% compared to regular cars running on gasoline. JustGrab Green is initially aimed at passengers booking rides in central Singapore and will gradually expand to more locations. In terms of price, JustGrab Green will maintain the same pricing structure as JustGrab. Grab will also expand its fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles through its rental arm GrabRentals.
Similar to Grab, GoJek has also launched a sustainable development goal that all fleets will be clean energy by 2030. In addition to this, Grab and GoJek have also signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia’s state-owned electricity provider Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), whereby the two companies will collaborate to build a network of electric vehicle charging stations in Indonesia. There is no doubt that in the next 10 years, Singapore and the entire Southeast Asia region will usher in a blowout in the demand for charging piles due to the rising demand for electric vehicles.
The strategic significance of laying out the Singapore charging pile market
According to data from the China Charging Alliance, there were 17,600 more public charging piles in April 2021 than in March 2021, and a year-on-year increase of 58.8% in April. As of April 2021, members of the alliance have reported a total of 868,000 public charging piles, including 363,000 DC charging piles, 505,000 AC charging piles, and 426 AC-DC integrated charging piles. From May 2020 to April 2021, about 26,800 new public charging piles will be added monthly. In contrast, Singapore plans to add 60,000 charging piles by 2030, and the market is not large.
But Singapore’s move is quite strategic. The Singapore government’s subsidy for electric vehicle universal charging piles is bound to absorb some charging pile operators to expand the market, and the trend of green travel will gradually spread from Singapore to other countries in Southeast Asia. At the same time, the charging pile market in Singapore, which has emerged first, will also bring experience and technology to other Southeast Asian countries for reference. Singapore is a hub in Asia and a gateway to the Southeast Asian market. If the charging pile market can be deployed in Singapore in advance, it may be more conducive for players to smoothly enter other Southeast Asian countries and explore larger markets.
