Reader Response Final

In this article “Electric vehicles will take over Singapore. But here’s what must happen first”, Kuttan (2020) stated a few major aspects of how moving forward with electric vehicles is not without its challenges. For Singapore to be able to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles and match standards of countries like Norway by the year 2040, it must be able to meet the supply and demand of operating electric vehicles (EV) here. Kuttan also explained how enticing the Singaporean population to make the switch to EVs is important, by giving them more to gain from doing so. Kuttan (2020) also concluded that the aspect of the government having to work with private companies in the different sectors that would be playing a major role in making this the future. Thus, leading to the goal of reduction in the carbon footprints and road congestion in Singapore. While the idea of moving from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles is a great idea, Singapore must first address the issue of consumer concerns, like battery degradation, cost of EVs and the lack of charging infrastructure.

One of the major consumer concerns is battery degradation which have been at the forefront of the slow adoption of EVs in Singapore. From an interview with Mr Kumail Rashid (Tan2021), Asia-Pacific e-mobility division lead of electric vehicle charging infrastructure builder ABB, stated that one of the main concerns of EV consumers here is the degradation of batteries in EVs. Kumail states that consumers claimed the hassle of its replacement being an inconvenience to them, and how swapping it out is a waste of resources even when the batteries are under warranty (Tan, 2021).

Next is the cost of charging EVs in Singapore. Consumers tend to look at the total cost of ownership, which specifically points towards the cost of charging to operate the vehicle (Tan, 2021). Public charging could also easily be double that of home charging, which is excluding other incurring cost, making it an unpragmatic endeavour (Tan, 2021).  

The last concern is the lack of charging infrastructure here in Singapore. Yes, there are currently 1600 charging points here, but it is still just a tiny fraction of the actual number of vehicles being operated on the roads (Kuttan, 2020). The lack of charging infrastructure here has led to an even slower growth of EV adoption amongst Singaporean consumers. Understandably, it is a problem for consumers who are buying an electronic product and not having the convenience of charging said product.

Research into the consumer concerns shows that the Singapore government and the related industry partners of EV’s have addressed said concerns. When it comes to battery degradation, there are methods of slowing it down by switching to “slow charging” after hitting the 80% mark, explained Kumail. Also, how EV manufacturers have participated actively in ensuring the preventing of battery degradation after a few years of use. This includes combining revolutionary battery management system and cooling technologies that allows for serviceability at an estimated 10 years or longer for a better overall EVs performance. The integration of both solar and grid power as a form of lowering cost of charging, which could help boost consumer willingness to adopt EVs (Tan 2021).

The Singapore government also has plans for further expansion of about 600 EV chargers throughout 200 public carparks around Singapore over the span of the next 1 year. This is excluding the 1600 chargers already installed here. The plan of installing said charging points in the central region, north, north-east, and west of Singapore by the third quarter of 2022 is a step in the right direction (Wei 2021). However, for Singapore to achieve its 2040 goal, these number needs to at least match or even surpass the number of vehicles on the road as to allow for time needed for consumer EV adoption. The reason behind this is consumer confidence, knowing that they have the convenience of charging their EVs in their own carparks when they do make the switch. 

The Singapore government has considered and addressed consumer concerns, however these information seems to be lost to the consumers. Hence, for Singapore to move forward with their goal set in 2040 methods of relaying the different information needs to be rectified and improved.

 

References:

Kuttan, S. (2020,23 Feb). Commentary: Electric vehicles will take over Singapore. But here’s what must happen first. Channel News Asia.

 https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/singapore-budget-2020-electric-vehicles-ice-ves-hybrid-car-2040-1338746

Tan, C. (2021, 30 July). Electrifying Drive: Q&A on concerns about EV ownership. Straits Times.

https://www.straitstimes.com/life/motoring/electrifying-drive-qa-on-concerns-about-ev-ownership

Wei, TT. (2021, 03 Jan). 620 electric vehicle chargers to be installed at public carparks in the next 12 months. Straits Times.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/620-electric-vehicle-chargers-to-be-installed-at-public-carparks-in-the-next-12

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