Local app takes charge of EVs

Singapore

IF the thought of hunting for a charging station has kept you from making the switch to an electric car, a local app might change your mind. For S$38, AutoApp SG will send a gofer to collect your car, take it to a charging station and return it with a full battery.

The price includes the electricity, and the app's "service ambassador" will give your car a once-over before handing it back. The service insures customers' cars for up to S$300,000 while they're in their drivers' care.

Ignition Labs, the app's creator, has partnered with SP Group to supply the electricity. The company said the nation's grid operator happens to operate the largest network of fast chargers in the country, which made it the "best provider" for its EV Charge Concierge service.

The fee for the service will eventually rise to S$68, though Ignition Labs itself is uncertain when. A spokesperson told The Business Times that the startup set as low a price as possible, but has little idea of how much demand exists for a door-to-door EV charging service.

Ignition Labs says it created AutoApp SG so car owners here could effectively outsource the headaches of vehicle upkeep to its service ambassadors, by letting them take the wheel. Or, when it comes to topping up an electric car's batteries, take charge.