Singapore to develop high-powered fast-charging plaza for EVs

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and tech start-up Ecotech Mobility have announced plans to develop a high-power density charge and converter system for electric vehicles which will be piloted in a first-of-its-kind “High Power Energy Plaza”.

Singapore announced plans in late-2019 to switch its entire fleet of buses – which number around 5,800 – to electric and hybrid buses by 2040.

In an effort to support the eventual need for fast-charging that will allow buses to recharge during the driver’s usual break at an interchange, charging sites able to accommodate high-power consumption and fast-charging will be needed.

As such, scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Singaporean tech start-up Ecotech Mobility will partner to develop a high-power density charge and converter system for electric vehicles.

When it’s ready to go, the new power system will be piloted in what is being billed as a “first-of-its-kind” fast-charging platform called the “High Power Energy Plaza” which will be able to charge multiple electric vehicles quickly with high-power DC chargers with capacities up to 550kW.

The Plaza will reportedly also be able to charge low-power transport options such as electric bikes, cars, and even light commercial vehicles.

According to NTU Singapore, the Plaza will be designed so as to be operated in different urban environments that meet the needs of both EVs and power grid requirements, while still catering to multiple configurations of EV chargers made by different brands.

The project will be spearheaded by Ecotech Mobility in partnership with two NTU Singapore entities – the Energy Research Institute@NTU (ERI@N) and the EcoLabs Centre of Innovation for Energy, a joint initiative by NTU, Enterprise Singapore, and Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS).