Singapore: About 85 per cent of Housing Board (HDB) carparks across Singapore, more than 1,600 out of 2,000, are now equipped with electric vehicle (EV) chargers, but the remaining 150 carparks will only receive them from 2026, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has said, reports Hardwarezone.com.
This means the government will miss its target of installing EV chargers in every HDB carpark by the end of 2025. According to LTA, the delay is due to technical constraints and the need to consider community preferences to balance parking demand among residents.
By the end of next year, LTA aims to install at least three 7.4-kilowatt (kW) slow chargers in each of the 300 HDB carparks that currently lack them. These slower chargers are designed for overnight charging. Upcoming installation sites include Fernvale Road, Ang Mo Kio Street 22, and Eunos Crescent.
Some newer housing estates, such as Build-To-Order (BTO) projects in Tengah and Bidadari, as well as parts of Tampines West, also do not yet have EV chargers.
For some residents, the rollout has already made a positive difference. Sam Wong, a 37-year-old data analyst living in Tampines GreenVines, said that after 18 new chargers were installed near his flat, it became much easier to charge his car. “Now I can find an available charger every time I need to,” he said. Previously, he had to plan his charging trips around visits to shopping malls or other public carparks since neither his home nor his workplace had chargers.
However, not everyone is as fortunate. Aloysius Wong, 35, who recently moved into his Kebun Baru Edge BTO flat in Mayflower, said his estate still lacks EV chargers. He currently relies on slow chargers at a nearby development, which requires him to pay for several hours of parking each time. “It’s frustrating that it’s taking so long to install chargers at my place,” he said.
Similarly, Manpreet Toor, 37, who lives in Teban Gardens, said the three charging points in his multi-storey carpark are often occupied. “Some residents leave their cars there even after they’re fully charged,” he said, adding that the problem is worsened because there are no idling fees for overstaying vehicles. He often has to drive five minutes to a 120kW fast-charging station in Penjuru instead.
Some charging operators, such as SP Mobility and Shell, have already implemented idling fees to discourage such behavior.
In a written parliamentary reply on October 14, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said that the authorities will continue working with charging operators and communities to expand installations at carparks with high demand, provided there is enough electrical capacity.
He also noted that most 7.4kW chargers take over two hours to deliver the same amount of charge a 120kW fast charger can supply in just 10 minutes, emphasizing their suitability for overnight use.
Beyond HDB estates, more than 3,600 EV charging points have been installed at over 900 private residential developments, covering 30 per cent of such properties. In total, Singapore now has over 25,000 EV charging points islandwide, half of which are publicly accessible, Mr. Siow added.
Despite the missed target, authorities maintain that Singapore’s EV charging network is expanding rapidly, supporting the country’s shift toward cleaner transport.
