Why is EV usage still low in Singapore?
Electric vehicle (EV) firm executive says demand for EV switchers is expensive.
While Singaporeans are willing to switch from petrol cars to electric vehicles (EVs), there are still factors preventing them from doing so. More than half of drivers in the Lion City are planning to move away from fossil fuel vehicles and use EVs instead in the future, a 2022 Epson study showed. Government data also revealed that new electric car registrations even more than doubled in 2021.
Despite this readiness, Cecilia Ku, managing director of manufacturing firm Delta Electronics, said these figures for EV adoption in Singapore are “still very low”. Epson’s Climate Reality Barometer showed that less than 20% switched gears to EVs.
Ku said one of the obstacles slowing down the EV switch is the costly Certificate of Entitlement (COE) for these vehicles, which allows an individual to have the right to own and drive a vehicle in Singapore. According to ride-hailing firm Grab, the COE “even costs more than the car itself”.
“We hope that the government can also look at the EC. This is because everyone is talking about how COE is still too expensive,” said Ku Singapore Business Review on the sidelines of the ASIA-PACIFIC Industrial Transformation 2022 held at the Singapore Expo.
Advisory firm, KPMG, also echoed the same sentiments, saying that the government has more room to introduce policies for EV users amid high car ownership costs due to taxes and COE.
Government subsidies to accelerate EV adoption are Singapore’s EV Early Adopter Incentive (EEAI) and Vehicle Emissions Scheme (VES), which can help save consumers up to $45,000 combined in the cost of buying a new EV.
October 2022 Singapore Automobile Association data showed that the COE for EVs up to 110 kilowatts (KW) costs $81,089 while the COE for EVs above 110 KW is worth $110,000.
Build more EV infrastructure
To speed up electric vehicle registrations in Singapore, KPMG encouraged more infrastructure, which could solve range anxiety for electric vehicle drivers. Range anxiety refers to the fear of having an insufficient charge for an EV while on the road.
“Hopefully, with the infrastructure built in Singapore, it can bring more comfort, so drivers will switch from the diesel car to the car you share with us in the future,” Ku said.
Among Delta’s EV solutions are Energy Storage Systems and the Delta Green platform, Ku said.
She said these platforms will increase demand for energy from EV charges and monitor the EV car’s energy intake and consumption.
“I think this is one way that Delta is already helping the government and operators in Singapore to overcome the limitation presented by the infrastructure,” said Ku.
Delta also introduced EV chargers, including the AC charger, which has an output power of 7 to 22 KW. AC charger refers to slow charging, which is for commercial and home charging.
AC chargers can be used in single homes, apartments and multi-occupancy workspaces. It can charge an EV in four to eight hours.
Considered a “fast charger”, the DC charger has an output power ranging from 25 KW to 200 KW. It can optimize the operating costs of public and commercial charging services, especially in places with limited space.
DC chargers can be installed for retail and hospitality locations, business workplaces and fleets. It can charge from one to four hours.
DC high power chargers can be deployed in car parks, service stations and intercity charging networks. It can charge an EV in 10 to 30 minutes.