The Big Read: More drivers jumping on the EV bandwagon, but obstacles remain as infrastructure tries to keep pace
“We mainly wanted it for the sustainability factor, in terms of emissions on the road, as well as the stability in fuel prices compared to the more volatile petrol pump prices,” said the 58-year-old, who works in the manufacturing industry. Some industry experts attributed the surge to the availability of more mass market electric cars, apart from the existing government subsidies to incentivise early adoption of EVs.
Analysts however suggested that this would not be the right metric to focus on because it naturally takes time to replace existing cars on the road with new ones. "When I bought it petrol was at an all-time high. Now charging costs are increasing, with the hassle, and additional charge for road tax, I don't think I'm saving much," he said.
As it stands, the growth in the number of EVs here have outpaced that of charging points over the last five years, based on figures from the Land Transport Authority and past media reports. The poll on attitudes towards EVs was conducted by market research firm Rakuten Insight in February, which also covered 11 other markets.
Mr Malcolm Loh, 57, made the switch from a diesel-powered BMW 216 Grand Tourer to a Tesla Model Y in September 2022. Major retailer Cycle & Carriage Singapore said that the profile of its EV customers"varies" depending on the range of brands and models the firm offers. This effectively means that the vast majority of Singaporeans who drive an EV would have to rely on common charging stations — an experience that can vary depending on each driver’s circumstances and usage needs.
The number of charging stations increased to over 3,600 by the end of 2022, when Singapore had 8,978 EVs.There are no publicly available figures on the number of charging station then, though in May this year, Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat said in a parliamentary reply that there were more than 6,200 EV chargers around the island and Singapore is on track to deploy EV chargers at all HDB carparks by end-2025.