The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has launched the first pilot trial for electric harbour craft (e-HC) charging points at Marina South Pier (MSP).
This follows an earlier call for proposals (CFP) to develop and operate e-HC charging points at various locations as part of a two-year pilot scheme.
The charging point at MSP was awarded to the Pyxis Energy Pte Ltd, Pyxis Maritime Pte Ltd and SP Mobility Pte Ltd partnership.
Pyxis’s fleet of e-HCs operating at MSP will serve as the base offtake to ensure the optimisation of the charging infrastructure and enable comprehensive data to be gathered.
The data collected will help to establish a national e-HC pricing infrastructure concept, implementation strategy, and national standards.
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In this pilot, the Pyxis and SP Mobility team installed a 150-kilowatt (kW) land-based Direct Current fast charger with a Combined Charging System 2 plug at MSP.
According to MPA, this charger can charge an e-HC with a battery capacity of 500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) in roughly three hours and provide an operational range of 50 nautical miles (90 kilometres).
Users of the e-HC charger will need to scan a QR code with the SP app and pay through the app, much as users of electric vehicles.
MPA is reportedly collaborating with Enterprise Singapore, industry stakeholders, and academics to create a Technical Reference (TR) for the e-HC charging and battery swap system. The draft TR will be available for public comment by mid-April 2024.
Capt M Segar, MPA Assistant Chief Executive (Operations), said: “Public-private partnership is key to promote wider adoption of e-HC in Singapore, including working together to improve the e-HC vessel and battery designs, support development of the technical standard, lower financing barriers and building the charging infrastructure to give confidence to users and encourage wider adoption.”
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Tommy Phun, Founder of Pyxis, stated: “We are delighted to announce the commencement of charging operations at Marina South Pier for the X Tron, the inaugural vessel from Pyxis’ flagship product line, the Pyxis One series of electric vessels. Tailored specifically for the dynamic Singapore port market, the Pyxis One seamlessly shuttles passengers between mainland Singapore and ships stationed at the anchorage.
“With a purpose-built aluminium catamaran hull, an efficient electric propulsion chain, and an IoT-enabled digital ecosystem platform, the Pyxis One pushes the boundaries of innovation and brings significant productivity gains compared to traditional diesel vessels.
“In addition to our electric harbour craft meeting Singapore’s 2030 and 2050 targets early, there is also expected total ownership cost savings compared to our traditional vessels.”
In October 2023, MPA issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) requesting financial institutions to submit solutions to expedite the adoption of electric harbour crafts.
