CapitaLand Limited will double the number of plug-in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in its properties from the current six stations to twelve, through its collaboration with BMW Asia.

The six new public charging stations will be installed at four new locations outside the CBD by next year. The Star Vista and Westgate will have two stations each while Bedok Mall and The Atrium@Orchard will have one station each.

Once completed, CapitaLand properties will comprise nine out of 31 public charging locations islandwide or nearly a third of the entire network. These nine CapitaLand locations will offer 12 EV charging stations out of the 47 in the country. EV owners simply have to register via the Greenlots mobile app for access to all the public charging stations.

Since 2009, worldwide EV sales have grown exponentially. Global sales are expected to hit one million by next month. The growth is expected to continue with up to 20 million EVs expected to be on the roads within the next five years.

Mr Tan Seng Chai, Group Chief Corporate Officer, CapitaLand Limited and Chairman, CapitaLand Sustainability Steering Committee, said: “We understand that the availability of charging stations is key to greater adoption of EVs, which help reduce carbon emissions. As property owners, we therefore recognise the instrumental role we can play in helping to make charging infrastructure more accessible.”

Mr Tan added: “We are set to offer over 100 EV charging stations in more than 40 properties across Asia and Europe, across integrated, shopping mall, serviced residence, office and residential developments. This will form an integrated CapitaLand network of charging stations, where our customers who are EV owners can plug-in and charge their cars easily and seamlessly when they live, work and play at our properties.”

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) includes the provision of EV charging stations as part of its Green Mark scheme to encourage real estate players to support sustainable mobility in Singapore.

Mr Ang Kian Seng, Group Director, Technology Development Group, BCA, said: “BCA has been championing the development of green buildings for the last decade. With the third Green Building Masterplan, our stakeholder engagement has been widened to include building tenants and occupants. The revamped Green Mark 2015 stipulates resource stewardship as a key area of focus looking critically at the environmental impact of resources, including material, water and operational waste. The scheme also encourages eco-friendly practices through the provision of facilities such as sheltered bicycle lots and EV charging stations, to inspire behavioural changes in users. We commend industry partners like CapitaLand for proactively promoting this cause”

EV charging station