More Financial Incentives and Charging Points to Encourage Electric Car Usage
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the Ministry of Transport’s position on electric vehicle adoption, financial incentives, and the expansion of charging infrastructure. Er Dr Lee Bee Wah inquired about support for electric cars, to which Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan replied that the Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme provides technology-neutral incentives for low-carbon vehicles. He detailed a nationwide electric car-sharing trial that will install 2,000 charging points and noted ongoing electric trials for buses, taxis, and commercial trucks. The Minister emphasized that public transport remains the greenest option for a "car-lite" Singapore, even as the country aims to be an early adopter of green vehicle technologies. Finally, he noted that Singapore’s compact geography is well-suited for electric vehicles, which can cover significant distances on a single charge.
Transcript
20 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Transport (a) what is the Ministry's position on use of electric cars in Singapore; (b) whether there are plans to offer financial incentives to encourage more motorists to use electric cars; and (c) whether the Ministry will install more charging points for electric cars.
The Minister for Transport (Mr Khaw Boon Wan): Madam, we encourage the use of vehicles that are more environmentally-friendly, or green, including electric cars. And that is why we incentivise low carbon emission cars through the Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS), which we have just had a discussion earlier. CEVS is outcome-based and neutral with respect to the type of technology used.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) had earlier issued a Request for Information (ROI) to invite proposals for a nationwide electric car-sharing programme. Besides trialling electric car-sharing services, the programme will also see the installation of 2,000 charging points across Singapore. The proposals are in the final stages of evaluation.
All that said, the greenest form of transport is public transport. So, do follow my example. If you cannot be a 100% public transport user, at least be a part-time public transport user. It is a little bit like being vegetarian. If you cannot do 100% like me, even 初一,十五, just twice a month, is good. [Laughter.] So, at least one day a week, I use public transport throughout the day. And sometimes, I do it two days a week. The greenest form of transport is public transport. Even though electric cars produce no tail-pipe emissions, the process of generating the electricity they consume emits carbon dioxide. We must move towards a car-lite Singapore.
Mdm Speaker: Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon): Madam, I would like to ask the Minister on the 2,000 charging points, whether it is only for those in the car-sharing scheme, or any member of the public can use the charging points. I think not everybody would like to join the car-sharing scheme.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: My favourite Member of Parliament has caught me on this tiny little detail! I am not sure, I got to check. I suppose it will apply to the trial participants of the car-sharing scheme, but as the facilities are out there and if other people would like to use them, they may charge them for its usage. I do not know. They may charge the battery, as well as charge the user, I think.
Mdm Speaker: Ms Sun Xueling.
Ms Sun Xueling (Pasir Ris-Punggol): A supplementary question. I understand that London launched the world's first fully electric-powered double-decker bus in March this year. Would the Ministry of Transport (MOT) consider using electric vehicles for public transport?
Mdm Speaker: Minister, question about London introducing the new electric bus.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: My apologies. I thought we have moved on to the next Parliamentary Question. Can the Member please repeat the supplementary question?
Ms Sun Xueling: I understand that London launched the world's first fully electric-powered double-decker bus in March this year. Would MOT consider using electric vehicles for public transport?
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: The answer is yes. Eventually we will try to make use of all this new technology. I covered those points during my reply in the Committee of Supply debate, that driverless vehicles and the use of greener fuel like electricity, should all be explored. In fact, besides the trial project involving 2,000 charging points and car-sharing, we have two other trials which are going on. One is for buses; one is for taxis, and commercial trucks. We certainly intend Singapore to be among the early adopters, if not among the early pioneers on the use of such technology because we are a city, compact and, especially for electric vehicles, you can cover a long distance with a single charge. I read that for Tesla Model 3, they are talking about covering almost 400 kilometres with one charge. At that rate, you can drive all the way to Kuala Lumpur.