Largest public fast-charging hub for electric commercial vehicles opens in Jurong

[SINGAPORE] Drivers of electric buses and trucks now have access to Singapore’s largest public fast-charging hub for commercial electric vehicles (EVs), which opened in Jurong on Monday (Jul 13).

Located at 2E Jalan Papan, which houses the JIC Inspection Centre, the hub has 46 charging points: six on level one and 40 on level five. The facility is also open to drivers of electric cars and taxis.

Operated by Volt Singapore – the EV charging arm of Keppel – the chargers can add up to 300 km of range in 10 minutes, depending on a vehicle’s capability.

For electric buses, which have larger battery capacity than average electric cars, charging from 20 per cent to 80 per cent takes less than two hours, compared with four to six hours using most commercial chargers.

The time taken to charge a battery from 20 per cent to 80 per cent is a commonly used benchmark, as charging is typically fastest within that range.

It costs 59.8 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to use the chargers.

The 40 charging points on level five draw power from 360 kilowatt (kW) charging cabinets, each of which can power up to six EVs simultaneously.

The actual charging speed depends on factors such as a vehicle’s state of charge and the number of EVs charging at the same time.

Although the hub serves all types of EVs, it is particularly well-suited for larger commercial vehicles with the 4.2 m height limit and sufficient room for them to easily manoeuvre in and out of the spaces.

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By the last quarter of 2026, there will be a dedicated area for EV drivers to rest while their vehicles are plugged in.

Speaking to The Straits Times at the launch event, Volt’s executive director Lim Yong Wei said that the operator will increase the number of charging spaces to 70 when utilisation rate is between 50 per cent and 80 per cent.

In a Facebook post, Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling, who attended the launch, said that the hub supports the electrification of Singapore’s heavy vehicle fleet, boosting the number of charging stations for such vehicles by 30 per cent.

The main users of the hub are the private electric buses operated by ComfortDelGro Bus, which appointed Volt as its charging partner.

The electric buses are used by the transport operator for the shuttle services at Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore, which are located nearby.

The chargers can also be used by the EVs going for their mandatory checks at the JIC Inspection Centre.

Volt is in talks with companies that operate EV fleets to use the hub.

The company has the rights to operate the hub for up to 15 years. This follows a 2023 tender to design, build, own and operate the charging hub at the site owned by Setsco Services, the testing and inspection company owned by transport group ComfortDelGro.

Lim declined to disclose the total investment cost, saying only that the costs of the electricity grid, works and charging equipment are in the “millions” of dollars.

The operator plans to launch a fast-charging hub in the eastern part of Singapore by 2027. The facility will be able to serve large electric vehicles as well as smaller electric school buses operating in the area.

Volt has over 500 chargers across more than 150 sites, more than half of which are fast chargers.

It is among five EV charging point operators to be pre-qualified by EV-Electric, the subsidiary of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) that oversees the deployment of public chargers.

The heavy vehicle zero emissions scheme by the LTA, which gives owners of qualified EVs a S$40,000 cash grant, is said to have boosted interest among companies to electrify their fleet. THE STRAITS TIMES