Changi City Point Mall has become the first mall in Singapore to have a fast charger for electric vehicles (EVs) after the device was set up by Bosch Software Innovations on Thursday.

The fast charger allows EV owners to charge their vehicles fully within 30 minutes, compared to six hours for the standard charger. There are more than 50 charging stations islandwide. City Square Mall was the first shopping mall to install a standard charging point last year. This was followed by charging points in Millennia Walk, 111 Somerset and OG Albert Complex among others.

Said Changi City Point Mall's Senior Centre Manager Emily Fong: "We decided to set-up the fast charger here to make the shopping experience with us as pleasant as possible. While our customers are stocking up on necessities or having a meal, they can charge their EVs and continue on the journey afterwards."

The charging stations were first introduced in 2011 as part of an electric vehicle pilot project by the Energy Market Authority and Land Transport Authority. Many new electric vehicle networks have been set up over the last three years in Europe, the United States and China but the idea has been around since 1992 when Switzerland embarked on its Park & Charge scheme.