\n<\/p>\n
Both bigger and smaller operators cited weaker-than-expected demand, high capital outlays and constrained power grids as key challenges to entering the market.<\/p>\n
SP Mobility managing director Dean Cher said EV charging is a capital-intensive business, requiring significant upfront investment well before utilisation catches up with EV adoption.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the market matures, scale and operational efficiencies and capabilities become increasingly important in delivering a reliable charging experience,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Doong Shiwen, Shell’s general manager for mobility and convenience in Singapore, said EV charging operators must contend with grid constraints, site availability and the technical complexity of installing high-powered infrastructure, all of which require careful planning to ensure a safe and reliable experience for customers.<\/p>\n
EVOne’s chief charging officer Toh Ann Cher said power availability is a “huge factor” limiting the wider deployment of chargers. The family-run firm, which has diversified to heavy vehicle chargers, has found installing chargers at some industrial sites challenging.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of potential charging points like heavy vehicle parks, their switch rooms are very small, and so we can\u2019t install chargers there,\u201d she said. \u201cFirms are hungry to find locations that have power.\u201d<\/p>\n
Timing is another challenge, said Ms Demi Tung, business development specialist for mobility at Eigen Energy, which operates more than 200 charging points.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cInstalling too many chargers ahead of demand would lead to maintenance and software costs on assets that sit idle, while under-deployment risks poor user experience and driver frustration,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For “well-utilised sites”, she said, it typically takes about four years to recover costs. “For lower-utilisation sites, the timeline is naturally longer, which reinforces the importance of disciplined deployment,” she added.<\/p>\n
Great Charge, an EV charging operator owned by Allgreen Properties with 55 charging points at Great World shopping centre and another 20 at Pasir Ris Mall, said it was taking a long-term view on payback.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Rather than focusing on a specific payback timeline, our priority is to provide value for our shoppers,” a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
GRID CONSTRAINTS, SLOW PAYBACK Both bigger and smaller operators cited weaker-than-expected demand, high capital outlays and constrained power grids as key challenges to entering the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--sSw4UEAl--\/c_crop,h_702,w_1248,x_0,y_6\/c_fill,g_auto,h_676,w_1200\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2022\/03\/07\/istock_-_taikrixel_story_2.jpg?itok=deuoCYX9","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[7259,4338,22,7439],"class_list":["post-72216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-news-sg-global","tag-charging","tag-companies","tag-singapore","tag-survive","wpcat-2-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=72216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/72217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=72216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=72216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=72216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}