Singaporean firm charging ahead with planned 5,000km SE Asian EV highway
Singapore-based charging provider for electric vehicles (EVs) Charge+ has announced a strategic partnership with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to boost the country's EV ecosystem as it strives to become a zero-carbon emission nation by 2050.
EGAT will provide Charge+ with a site for a direct current (DC) charging station in Thap Sakae, about 320 kilometres south of Bangkok, according to a statement from Charge+.
EGAT will also collaborate with Charge+ on roaming so that Charge+ users can use the Charge+ application to access EGAT charging stations throughout Thailand, the statement said.
EGAT is the state-owned corporation responsible for energy generation and electricity sales to Thai distribution firms.
The collaboration is part of the Singaporean firm's aim to build a 5,000-kilometre EV charging highway through five Southeast Asian countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
As a result, EV drivers can use the Charge+ App to access 45 DC charging points across five countries.
The EV charging highway will be the longest in Southeast Asia and one of the longest in the world, Charge+ CEO Goh Chee Kiong told the annual three-day Future Mobility Asia summit in Bangkok, which ends on Friday.
The average distance between charging stations is expected to be about 120 kilometres. The stations will be either directly on the highway or less than two kilometres from interchanges.
Goh expects the project to help address a long-standing worry among prospective EV customers that EVs are not appropriate for long-distance due to a lack of charging infrastructure, particularly in remote areas.
The EV charging highway will eliminate cross-border issues associated with registering for numerous Apps and processing payments in different currencies, Goh said.
"We are therefore excited to unveil this 5,000km EV charging highway project, which will revolutionise societal perceptions of EVs in this region and provide EV drivers with much-needed confidence," he said.
The highway is made feasible by the company’s broad operations throughout Southeast Asia, as well as strategic collaborations in roaming that will further grow the Charge+ network, Goh said.
The planned charging stations, in conjunction with the Charge+ App, will provide EV drivers with cross-border convenience and increase overall trust in the transition to EVs as the major mode of land transport in Southeast Asia in the future, he said.
The company has confirmed 18 of the 45 charging locations in the first phase, Goh said, adding that Charge+ will invest in, own and operate all of them.
The stations will be operational by end of next year and include urban charging hubs in six key cities: Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi.
The remaining 27 locations will be ready by end-2025 and comprise stations owned by Charge+ and stations owned by strategic partners that allow Charge+ to roam with them.
Ong Tze Boon, chairman of Charge+, said the highway project is a milestone in the company’s drive to become an influential EV charging provider in the region.
Charge+ manages roughly 1,000 EV charging points in Southeast Asia, with a goal of having at least 10,000 by 2030.
