Summary_Reader's Response - Draft #3 (Final)

In the article, "Electric vehicles will take over Singapore. But here’s what must happen first", Kuttan (2020) discusses what Singapore has to accomplish to phase out Internal Combustion Engine vehicles (ICEV) by 2040. The article suggests that we take reference from nations pioneering Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption like Norway to do our part in the global fight against climate change. He argues that our current policies should expand on consumer-centric strategies, car-lite infrastructure, and private sector engagement through sustainable financing models. The transition should be accompanied by encouraging EV adoption, where targeting commercial fleets and training an EV-technician pool would have swift impact. Overall, Singapore has proved committed to making constructive, albeit challenging, developments. In my opinion, the government's recent announcement on expanding the charging network is a step in the right direction. However, there are other hurdles to widespread EV adoption like high costs of ownership, consumer’s negative perception towards EVs, and charging point accessibility. Unless the government addresses these hurdles, Singapore’s transition to EVs will be impeded.

A major hindrance to widespread EV adoption is the high total cost of owning one. Due to the infancy of EV technology, an entry-level EV may cost as much as a luxury ICEV (Goh, 2021). This is exacerbated by the fact that Singapore has the world's highest cost of car ownership (The Straits Times, 2018). Singapore's main strategy to offset EV purchase cost is to provide cash rebates, but Singaporeans are still doubtful of its total cost effectiveness. As seen in the early 2000s, the lauded Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle's (CNGV) population rapidly declined into non-existence after the government dismantled its rebate schemes (Mokhtar, 2021).  CNGV past owners also cited the high cost of maintenance and fuel as a driving reason for its downfall. As cost-effectiveness is a key deciding factor especially for consumers in an expensive nation, there are no convincing reasons for consumers to make the switch to EVs. To promote adoption, the government must review the recurring costs of EV ownership compared to an ICEV and revamp vehicle pricing schemes.

Perceived inconvenience is also an inhibitor to EV adoption. Consumers may equate EV ownership to constantly being at risk of running their battery flat mid-journey or having to face added 're-fuelling' time, although these are not critical flaws considering our island's small land area. In Norway, they widely incentivised adoption beyond offsetting EV purchase costs, like permitting travel on restricted bus lanes, free parking, and discounted ferry transports (Alley, 2019). Norway successfully provided a set of benefits unique to EV owners to compensate for the possible inconveniences of EV ownership. To effectively persuade the Singaporean consumer, the government must explore how to apply such benefits in a local context and reflect it through public policies to boost EV adoption.

Some might argue that Singapore is actively improving convenience by rapidly expanding the charging network to 60,000 chargers within the next decade. However, we need to understand that convenience is correlated with accessibility. Teo (2021) points out that fast EV chargers are less likely to be incorporated into existing public carparks as they are not designed to operate charging stations.  Abdullah (2021) also points out that private landowners are hesitant to adapt their carparks, citing a lack of demand from residents and the legal and technical complexity of modifying existing infrastructure. Inaccessibility to fast charging, or charging in general, on private land and in mature public estates diminish the effectiveness of charging location numbers. Economist Walter Theresa (Abdullah, 2021) indicated that the government should "establish a set of best practices" that addresses the legal and technical hurdles of charging point construction to boost its expansion. The government must induce a tipping point in favour of EV ownership by proving to consumers that chargers will be readily available to them regardless of where they work or live.

In essence, Singapore's current schemes and policies have laid the foundation for an EV future. However, a successful transition towards EVs is not limited the size of physical infrastructure. Encouraging EV adoption through consumer assurance, continual government support, addressing false perceptions, and the presence accessible chargers should be considered in tandem with the growth of public charging facilities. These changes can and should be accelerated through public policies which is vital to meet Singapore's target for a zero-emissions private vehicle fleet.

References

Abdullah, A. Z. (2021, February 17). Amid push for electric vehicles, getting charging points installed in condominiums remains a challenge. Channel News Asia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/electric-vehicles-ev-charging-points-condominiums-singapore-357416

Alley, O. (2019, September 26). Why Norway is the world leader of the EV revolution. Driven. https://www.driven.co.nz/news/why-norway-is-the-world-leader-of-the-ev-revolution/

Goh, Z. X. (2021, January 28). Why are electric cars so expensive in Singapore? SgCarMart.com. https://www.sgcarmart.com/news/writeup.php?AID=565

Kuttan, S. (2020, February 23). 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

Mokhtar, F. (2018, February 1). Once touted as the next big green thing, CNG vehicles have had a bumpy ride. TODAY Online. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/once-touted-next-big-green-thing-cng-vehicles-have-had-bumpy-ride-spore

Teo, G. (2020, March 11). 28,000 charging stations for electric cars is possible - but where? Industry players weigh in. Channel News Asia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/electric-vehicles-budget-2020-charging-points-energy-770251

The Straits Times. (2018, March 15). Car costs make Singapore world’s priciest city, again. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/business/economy/car-costs-make-singapore-worlds-priciest-city-again