Alfie Toh (47), Darren Tan (46) and KM (45) are all engineers and have worked in the automotive industry for most of their careers.
The 3 first crossed paths 18 years ago thanks to work. KM, then a young automotive industry executive, and Alfie and Darren, the founders of Mach Accessories, approached him to offer him their generation of vacuum molding entirely. custom-designed accessories to keep minimum order quantities (MOQs) low.
In addition to Mach, Darren and Alfie also run a few other companies, and the 3 have also invested in several startups.
Their ongoing appointments temporarily became a potential trade partnership, when they co-founded Power Up Tech (P. UP), which provides Singapore’s first cellular electric vehicle charging service.
Things were freezing a bit, as this industry was one of the last to be particularly disrupted. So when electric cars (EVs) and autonomous driving entered their existing accelerated phase, we were very excited [and] everyone kept their eyes open to opportunities. .
I had just started driving an electric vehicle and met many homeowners in other countries. We all said the same thing: the cars were great, but the diversity and load were painful. It reminded me a lot of the feeling we had when we were given our first smartphones.
He pondered those pain issues for a few weeks and eventually asked Alfie and Darren to build “portable power banks” for electric vehicles. Both came up with a wonderful idea, and nine months later, the first prototype arrived in Singapore.
“They used Mach’s resources to incubate and expand the idea, as well as to lead the studies and expansion. I booked a flight to Singapore and we set up P. UP,” KM explained.
The purpose of P. UP is to “overload the lifestyle of electric vehicles” by cutting off all accessories to the load as well as the property.
As an EV owner, KM understands firsthand the misfortunes of EV charging. Find out that it’s an embarrassment for EV owners to use their cars part of the time: “the other party, you have to go find charging stations, queue for them, wait for them to arrive. “your rate to finish, etc. “
“It’s a constant challenge, especially if you live in a city-state like Singapore, where five percent of families have the ability to stay in homes where they can install a private charger,” he said.
He also noted that this gap between the number of electric cars and charging availability will exist in high-density cities, where land is incredibly valuable and where existing infrastructure limits the loose deployment of charging stations.
“A smart example is the deployment of slow, affordable, space-saving chargers. However, the terrain on which the vehicle will have to be parked for at least seven hours for the car to be fully charged is incredibly expensive.
“That’s why we proposed cellular charging, not only to enable consumers, but also to ease the burden on our government, by extending the policy and making cargo available to each and every corner of the island. “
Essentially, P. UP provides on-demand power anytime, anywhere.
On its website, it said its service will be available in Singapore monday through Saturday, from 9 a. m. m. a 9 p. m. , and reservation is required at least one day in advance.
“Just touch us and we’ll make it wherever you are. It’s that undeniable. The only restriction is having your vehicle parked in a proper parking area for protection reasons,” KM explained.
All of our P. Uppies (your affectionate term for your electric vehicle charging vehicle) are fully electric, including the carrier. We have other shapes and sizes, but the one we use lately in Singapore is our type of van.
All P. UPpies are supplied with some of the fastest DC chargers, with an average charging time of 30-45 minutes [for up to] 80% [charging].
Similar to cellular plans presented through telecom operators, P. UP also offers packages tailored to other lifestyles and driving uses.
For their budget packages, they charge S$0. 54 per kWh – the fare per kWh is equal to the rates of ad fast charging stations in Singapore.
“With P. UP, EV owners have no commitments. They don’t pay a dime more than carriers bound for the public ad counter, [and] we’re as fast or faster than all carriers bound for the ad desk. But the difference is that we move to wherever you are and you love us,” KM added.
When P. UP began its pilot, consumers were curious and skeptical about its advertising offering, and many questioned its protection and effectiveness.
“Within two months of the tests, we were pleasantly surprised by the response. We didn’t do any kind of marketing and word of mouth [about P. UP] spread quickly,” KM explained.
“When, in spite of everything, we introduced it in June, the reaction was so clever that we had to intentionally slow down so that the acceleration of our apparatus could keep pace. “
In particular, he counted encouraging feedback from one customer, who is an active Grab driver. Due to its high mileage, you use the P. UP every day and thanks to them, you can save two hours a day because you didn’t have to look for charging stations.
Despite the positive reaction of consumers, the startup has not had deployment of its service, especially because it is a pioneer in this field.
The main challenge remains the lack of correct criteria governing cell phone charging in Singapore, which generates a certain degree of insecurity, especially among potential corporate customers. This is basically due to the small extension of the Singapore market and the fact that P. UP is the only one in Singapore with a fully functional style of this service.
As such, P. UP has proactively contracted foreign laboratories to certify all its carriers to international electrotechnical commission (IEC) standards, this is not mandatory.
In fact, it is recently engaging with the National Electric Vehicle Centre (NEVC), set up by the Land Transport Authority authority, to share the certifications they have received and is working with laboratories in Singapore to build a cellular electric vehicle charging framework. Standards
As P. UP works heavily with NEVC to help put Singapore ahead of the world in electric vehicle cellular charging, KM believes Singapore can be and be the “model and standard”. for electric vehicle responses and business models, especially for ultra-high-density cities.
Another key business challenge for P. Up COVID-19, which caused delays in the progress and production of the device.
“So far, we are delivering our P. UPpies so we can serve more customers,” KM said.
According to KM, P. UP has gained “a lot of attention” from potential partners in other Asian countries, which has boosted its regional expansion plans. According to this expansion plan, the startup is preparing for the Series A investment next year in order to have enough capital for expansion.
Until now, investment has not been a factor for the start-up as the 3 co-founders had enough cash for the company. In addition, based on Mach’s track record and business reputation, they may only secure enough industry funding to keep P. UP running smoothly. expand its operations in Singapore.
“In terms of margins, we are already in the dark,” KM revealed.
Closer to home, P. UP has also attracted a lot of interest from local condos and is lately putting forward proposals to see how they can allow condo citizens to seamlessly rate their electric vehicles.
“He or she doesn’t want to be inside the [local] condo; as long as the user is a resident [condominium], he or she will have access to our charging EV at the special rates that have been agreed. “
Although KM admits that this is a “new area” for them, it is confident that they can alleviate electric vehicle charging problems for many condo residents. After all, the biggest draw of the P. UP service is that it doesn’t require users to install anything.
We that electric vehicle owners deserve to have a better way of life than drivers of internal combustion engines (ICEs). They want to focus on enjoying their vehicle to the fullest without having to devote particular time to cargo and other heritage tasks. UP exists to enable this.
For P. UP, cellular charging [EV] is [only] our first step. . . Our cellular P. UPpies only make sure your EV has enough power, but in the long run we’ll be your “yetler” for all the other mundane responsibilities that homeowners in general have to carry out for cars. . . We will be the “Uber of EV services” for homeowners.
Featured image credit: Power Up Tech
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© 2021 GRVTY Media Pte. Ltda. (UEN 201431998C. )
Vulcan Post aims to be the wisdom hub of Singapore and Malaysia.
© 2021 GRVTY Media Pte. Ltda. (UEN 201431998C. )