Parliament has discussed plans to expand the electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure. It has been recognised that in order for the wide adoption of EVs to be successful, the charging infrastructure has to be adequately provided first.

I sincerely feel that government action is required in this area to overcome the barriers in expanding the charging infrastructure, especially in private developments such as condominiums.

The provision of EV charging points should be legislated as a requirement rather than subject to voting and approval of a special resolution that has to be tabled at an annual general meeting (AGM), and for which a 75 per cent vote in favour of the special resolution is required before approval is granted, as required under the current Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act.

In the last AGM conducted at my condominium last month, the special resolution that had been tabled for the installation of EV charging points in the basement carpark was defeated, with less than 30 per cent of the residents supporting it.

There was negative sentiment as it did not benefit the majority of the residents, especially those who did not drive.

And for those who did drive, they did not own electric vehicles and saw no incentive to support the resolution, even though there was no technical difficulty in providing such an installation and it did not inconvenience them or affect them negatively.

As recommended by the Land Transport Authority's technology road map on electromobility, the Government should use a mix of regulatory, financial and non-financial policy levers to support the growth of EVs in Singapore.

These policies should be created and announced expediently, so that there is clarity on the regulatory framework, which would be conducive for the provision of EV charging points in private developments.

Currently, the luxury of being able to install EV charging stations at their own homes is limited to only the minority who live in landed properties. The Government should make it easier for all Singaporeans who wish to own EVs, with the convenience of having charging points at their residences or close to their residences, so that they can charge their EVs overnight.

Andrew Seet Swan Po