Electric vehicle battery flat? Mobile charging vans to the rescue

SINGAPORE: Electric vehicle (EV) drivers can soon charge their vehicles more conveniently, with a growing industry of mobile charging vans set to ply the roads.

All they have to do is contact firms offering the charging services and these vans – carrying portable chargers specifically made for electric vehicles – will pull up to provide juice. 

The services target drivers whose cars have run out of battery on the road, as well as those whose carparks have not been fitted with EV chargers yet.

Such efforts come amid ambitious plans to ramp up adoption of the clean energy alternative under the Singapore Green Plan, the country’s sustainability push to achieve key targets by 2030.

Among the service providers is car dealer Wearnes, which recently started a pilot for its services.

 "As and when their battery runs flat, we'll respond to them by coming down with our mobile EV charger," said Wearnes Automotive general manager Vynn Tu. 

The firm will dispatch an electric Kangoo van retrofitted with a device from local battery maker Durapower. A 10-minute charge from the van can last about 30km, which is roughly the distance between Raffles Place and Changi Village. 

Wearnes hopes this will plug the current supply gap, while the country pursues its plan to install 60,000 charging points by 2030.

For now, services under the pilot only run on weekdays, from 9am to 6pm. The firm hopes to eventually increase its service offerings and use a different van that can provide a longer-lasting charge.

Although electric vehicles make up just 1 per cent of the car population currently, there is no time like now, as far as Wearnes is concerned. 

"This is the best time to pilot this new mobile EV charger platform because the numbers are low. That's why it's actually manageable and it allows us to troubleshoot and make improvements to this setup," Ms Tu told CNA. 

ELECTRIC RIDE-SHARING SERVICES

Another firm looking to tap a growing interest in electric vehicles is EVCo. 

The firm will make available 550 electric commercial vans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to lease next year. 

Those who rent one of these vans will also have access to more than 20 mobile charging vans. 

EVCo managing director Fuji Foo said that his firm will provide charging services with the knowledge that drivers may have trouble finding one. 

"With mobile charging now, instead of having them (drivers) look around for chargers, for example, and worrying … now we are bringing charging service to them, " he said. 

The vans will be available for lease on a quarterly or yearly basis, said Mr Foo, adding that fuel savings could make the cost of leasing an electric van cheaper than a traditional one. 

NEW LAW TO REGULATION EV CHARGING

One SME, SOS Logistics Solutions, is taking part in a pilot run by EVCo. 

The firm’s co-founder, Markus Lim, told CNA that the system could push more of its drivers to go electric.

The delivery drivers working with his firm do not need to find a charging station at the end of a 12- to 14-hour workday, and can park their vehicles anywhere, just as they would with diesel-powered vans, he said. 

"So this way, it actually does not disrupt (the system) in terms of how the traditional leasing model is," he said. 

The charging services come ahead of the establishment of a new law to regulate EV charging, which will be up for debate in Parliament this year.

The legislation could see licensing and mandatory registration introduced into the sector.

Market players said they currently meet local and international safety standards, but are prepared to do what is needed to comply with the upcoming rules. 

"As and when regulations come forth, then we will have to review again… And thereafter we will see what the new requirements are and how we can comply accordingly," said Wearnes' Ms Tu.