Tesla plans to set up own EV charging infrastructure in Singapore
As part of Singapore’s plans to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040, the country is ramping up the installation of EV charging points.
Tesla’s hiring rounds in Singapore have fueled rumors on its possible entry here. According to its latest job opening listed on its website, Tesla is hiring for a Charging Manager, which hints at a possible EV charging infrastructure in Singapore.
The job listing details that the role’s primary function is to be responsible for the “strategic planning, execution, and management of Tesla charging networks across Singapore.” The manager will be required to lead a team to offer “comprehensive charging solutions” including home charging, public charging, third-party charging, and supercharging. Additionally, the manager has to strategically plan the charging network such as the selection and installation of charging schemes in order to “meet the energy needs of customers.”
Besides this position, Tesla is hiring for another ten roles in Singapore that include a store leader, field service engineer, vehicle service technician, sales advisor, and customer support specialist.
Although Dyson has scrapped its plans to build an electric car manufacturing plant in Singapore, Hyundai Motor will be filling this void. The South Korean carmaker will be setting up an electric vehicles (EV) manufacturing plant at Bulim Avenue in Jurong, which is slated to be operational by 2022. According to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, it is an investment of almost SGD 400 million (USD 298 million), and may produce up to 30,000 vehicles per year by 2025.
In the future, Hyundai customers can simply order and customize an electric car on their phone, and watch it get assembled in real-time. In addition, the company will also trial battery-as-a-service where customers can buy an electric car without its battery and instead lease it from Hyundai. As batteries typically cost half the price of the car, this can significantly reduce the cost of an electric vehicle.
Government support
As part of the government’s plans to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040, Singapore is ramping up the installation of EV charging points. Most recently, Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung announced that they will increase the current 1,700 EV charging points to 28,000 by 2030. Two-thirds of this number will be deployed in Housing Development Board (HDB) carparks islandwide, he added.
Additionally, Charge+, the green mobility arm of clean energy firm Sunseap Ground, announced at the end of September that it plans to install 10,000 EV charging points in Singapore by 2030.
Source : kr-asia
