Singapore opens tender for EV charging points at over 200 public car parks

THE Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Monday launched Singapore's pilot tender for electric vehicle (EV) charging points at public car parks.

The tender, open till March 12, 2021, covers the installation and operation of more than 600 EV charging points at over 200 public car parks across the country.

These car parks are in a wide range of accessible areas, including public housing estates, industrial estates, public parks and community centres.

Successful tenderers will be required to install charging stations at their allotted car parks by the third quarter of 2022.

Data and insights from this first tender will help to shape the design and phasing of future tenders, which will be issued in batches over the coming years.

In a joint statement, URA and LTA noted that the launch of the pilot tender "marks a significant milestone in the expansion of Singapore's public car park charging network".

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The government earlier this year announced it is targeting to deploy up to 28,000 charging points in public car parks by 2030, with about two-thirds of them to be located in Housing Board estates across the country, while the rest will be by the roadside or at places such as government-owned car parks.

The 28,000 do not include privately installed charging points such as those at malls or by residents in private estates.

This is to make it more convenient for EV users, and are part of Singapore's plans to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040.

There are about 1,800 charging points located islandwide as at Monday, said URA and LTA. The number of electric cars on Singapore's roads as at January this year was about 1,125.

Lim Eng Hwee, chief executive officer (CEO) of URA, said that bringing charging points to more public car parks will provide drivers with greater convenience and accessibility, making EVs a more attractive option. He added that implementing such charging infrastructure is an important step in shaping a sustainable city of the future.

The wider adoption of EVs, which are quieter and do not have tailpipe emissions, will yield significant environmental benefits and improve liveability for people in Singapore, according to LTA CEO Ng Lang.

"Coupled with incentives such as the EV Early Adoption Incentive and the recently enhanced Vehicular Emissions Scheme, the increased availability of charging points will help to encourage more vehicle owners to choose EVs," Mr Ng said.