With Malaysia and Singapore right next door to each other, cross-border motoring is a common thing. Until now, fuel needs have been easily met with the extensive network of petrol stations. But as the EV era has arrived, there is now a need for another type of station to ‘refuel’ – a charging station which supplies electricity instead of petrol or diesel.
As EV ownership grows in both countries, the need for access to EV charging stations will also grow and EV charging operators Charge+ from Singapore and ChargeSini from Malaysia have collaborated to provide EV drivers access to each other’s networks. This is similar to how telcos have roaming agreements that give their users access to cellphone services in another country.
Peace of mind on long journeys
In the case of Charge+ and ChargeSini, a roaming collaboration agreement has been signed by both companies. This provides the convenience of cross-border EV charging and of course, greater peace of mind for drivers in long-distance driving.
For Malaysian EV/PHEV owners, ChargeSini’s proprietary app (available for Apple iOS) and Android devices) allows the access not only to ChargeSini’s stations but also those of Charge+ in Singapore and even Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia. It is working on implementing a ‘charging highway’ that would span 5,000 kms across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Single app for access
This would mean that an EV owner can drive through the countries and be able to have access to charging points without having to sign up on different apps. That is certainly going to be a great convenience, again like the roaming facilities which mobilephone companies offer.
ChargeSini (operated by Chargehere EV Solution Sdn Bhd) is Malaysia’s leading EV charging solutions provider. Its network now has 701 operational charging bays (122 DC chargers and 579 AC chargers) across 224 hubs in both Peninsular and East Malaysia.
“I am both proud and ecstatic that Charge+ has chosen to partner with ChargeSini. Together, we can now connect more EV owners and users together through both our networks, thus allowing them to undertake stress-free cross-border travels with their EVs. Moreover, I am elated that users from both sides can now easily access any of our chargers through our existing apps too,” said ChargeSini’s James Goh who founded the Malaysian firm in early 2022.