Under Singapore’s Electric Vehicle (EV) transformation, Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles would be phased out by 2040. The plan is to introduce more eco-friendly vehicles into Singapore such as EVs and reduce overall carbon combustion in transportation.
The Singapore Government has pledged to install over 60,000 EV charging points over the next decade to ensure adequate charging options. Out of the 60,000 charging points, non-landed private residences (condominiums and apartments) will have 20,000 installed while the rest will be in HDB carparks.
As Tesla showroom gets confirmed with the first vehicle being delivered into Singapore just last week, the need for more EV chargers is increasing. Based on the US Energy Department, over 80% of EV owners charge their EVs at home. While the cost of installation for electric vehicles in HDB carparks would be covered by the government, non-landed private residences (NLPRs) would have to arrange their own installations.
Regardless, as an incentive for early adopters in NLPRs, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has launched the Electric Vehicle Common Charger Grant (ECCG). Before getting ready to hire a contractor to install an EV charger in your estate, here are some things to note and the estimated cost.
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Things To Note For Installation Of EV Charging In NLPRs
As a private development resident, we would require a resolution approval through the management corporation of the estate. This financial resolution would require at least 50% of property owners approval of the motion. To get approval, the case for installing the EV charger should appeal to the residents in terms of the cost and value it brings to the estate. One form of value electric vehicle brings to the estate is the potential to attract future eco-conscious buyers that requires EV charger.
When installing the EV charger, the resident or management corporation should ensure it is a smart charger. The smart charger complies with Singapore Standards Council (SSC) technical requirements of TR25:2016. The voltages of EV chargers should be within the standard A.C. supply voltages of up to 1000 V and at D.C. voltages up to 1500 V.
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Estimated Cost of Installation of EV Charger (With Electric Vehicle Common Charger Grant)
For the installation of EV chargers, there are different types of chargers to choose from with varied price points. The outdoor charging points that are similar to BlueSG, would cost about $15,000 each. Going for the indoor wall charging points would cost $5,000 instead if we want a more affordable option. These costs of installation would also include electrician labour and cabling cost.
As announced, the government will be supporting the installation of EV chargers with the launch of ECCG. The grant will be opened from 29 July 2021 till 31 December 2023 or until 2,000 chargers have been given the grant, whichever earlier.
The number of EV chargers eligible for a grant in NLPR estate is limited to 1% of the number of residential parking lots, rounded to the nearest whole number. For example, if there are 80 lots in the residences, the number of EV charger eligible for grant = 80 X 1% = 0.8 = 1 EV charger. This means that even if our residence estate only has 20 parking lots, we are still eligible to apply for the ECCG with one EV charger.
Eligible EV chargers will receive the grant that covers only the hardware installation cost and not the software. The grant will co-fund 50% of the installation charges in three areas of upfront costs which are subjected to the overall cap of $4,000 per charger. These three areas are – (1) charger equipment, (2) labour cost (Licensed Electrical Worker fees) and (3) cost of cabling and installation (Capped at $1,000).
An example of an estimated breakdown of the EV charger installation with ECCG would be as follows:
| Cost For Each Cost Component | 50% Co-Funding On Each Cost Component | Total Co-Funding Amount | |
| Charging system | $3,000 | $1,500 | $3,250 |
| Licensed Electrical Worker fees | $2,000 | $1,000 | |
| Cabling and installation cost | $1,500 | $750 | |
Source: LTA
Given that the average cost of an EV wall charger is about $5,000, residents can expect to pay about half the amount with the ECCG.
Interested applicants should apply to LTA first to obtain the Letter of Offer on ECCG. The application is done via the Business Grant Portal with a Corppass. More details on the application can be found here.
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