Public can use some of BlueSG's electric vehicle chargers now

BlueSG has opened up 99 chargers across 25 locations, including HDB estates, for public use. These chargers constitute 13 per cent of the electric car-sharing firm's network.
BlueSG has opened up 99 chargers across 25 locations, including HDB estates, for public use. These chargers constitute 13 per cent of the electric car-sharing firm's network. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

Electric car-sharing operator BlueSG has released 99 charging points across 25 locations for public use.

The move, effective from 3pm on Tuesday, came 1-1/2 years after the firm started operations here.

The number of chargers open to all electric vehicle (EV) owners constitutes 13 per cent of BlueSG's network, which comprises 755 chargers at 191 stations.

The company had previously committed to opening up 20 per cent of its projected network of 2,000 chargers by next year.

In a statement yesterday morning, BlueSG said private vehicle owners will have to subscribe to the service on a mobile application or the BlueSG website.

A year's membership costs $20. Tariffs are $1 per hour for the first three hours, and $2 per hour after that.

All available charging service stations will be displayed on the BlueSG app. EV owners can book a charging point up to 45 minutes in advance.

Observers said BlueSG chargers are best for casual charging when an EV driver is looking for parking. This is because they are mostly slow chargers, which take several hours to fully charge a typical electric car.

They added that the tariffs are relatively high on their own, but are more palatable when viewed as part of parking charges.

  • 99

  • Number of charging points released by electric car-sharing operator BlueSG for public use.

Mr Ng Choon Wee, commercial director of Hyundai agent Komoco Motors, said: "We welcome BlueSG's move to open up its charging network for public use.

"The location of its charging points, especially those in the city fringe and Housing Board estates, will provide even greater peace of mind to EV owners in Singapore."

Komoco has two electric models in its line-up: the Ioniq Electric sedan and the Kona Electric compact crossover.

BlueSG has 450 cars and some 30,000 members. Since December 2017, its cars have been rented 200,000 times and have covered 3.7 million km, the company said.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 25, 2019, with the headline Public can use some of BlueSG's electric vehicle chargers now. Subscribe