Singapore’s Big-Rig Battery Station Is a Test Case For Crowded Cities

Singapore’s first charging and swapping station for big rigs can replace batteries in under five minutes, simultaneously solving two big hurdles for the city’s electrification ambitions — space limitations and grid strain — and serving as a test case for other high-density metropolises around the world.

The 1,550-square-foot station takes up one-sixteenth of the space needed to charge 30 heavy trucks through the traditional plug-in method. It uses much less electricity — just 1,600 amps, compared with the 6,000 amps of power required to fast-charge 30 vehicles, according to EcoSwift, the company behind the project.