The Straits Times
Electrical car-sharing scheme to be flipped out from 2017
BlueSG Electrical cars and charging points at LTA headquarters in Hampshire Road. Ang Mo Kio, Jurong East and Punggol will be among the very first HDB towns to have a total of fifty EV stations and two hundred fifty charging points installed. The fleet is expected to grow to 1,000 islandwide by 2020, with Two,000 charging points in five hundred locations. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
An electrical car-sharing scheme will be flipped out islandwide next year, suggesting commuters a greener alternative to possessing a car.
The authorities have appointed BlueSG, a subsidiary of French electrified car-sharing operator Bollore Group, to run a fleet of 1,000 cars by two thousand twenty under the national electrical vehicle (EV) car-sharing programme.
This addition will be significantly more than the three hundred collective cars presently in the market.
The electrical cars will be powered by Two,000 charging points at selected parking spaces in five hundred locations, of which eighty per cent would be within neighbourhoods.
Key industrial estates, commercial areas and the Central Business District will also be served by charging points under the scheme, which is jointly led by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Economic Development Board (EDB).
At a signing ceremony yesterday, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan announced that the very first fleet of one hundred twenty five BlueSG cars will hit the road from the middle of next year. As part of the 10-year contract, the public can use up to twenty per cent of the Two,000 charging points.
Ang Mo Kio, Jurong East and Punggol will be among the very first Housing Board towns to have a total of fifty EV stations and two hundred fifty charging points installed.
The stir will lay the groundwork for a broader adoption of EVs in Singapore, which will contribute to the country’s vision of a car-lite and green-car society, Mr Khaw said.
“Car-sharing permits more people to have access to a car without needing to own one,” he said. “It is useful for the occasional journey where taking public transport may not be as convenient.”
Eventually, the EV infrastructure may be expanded to support public transport such as taxis and buses.
It is understood that the scheme will be co-funded by the Government, albeit the parties have declined to expose the cost.
Unlike existing car-sharing operators such as Car Club, BlueSG will operate a one-way model – which permits users to come back the electrified car at their destination.
Users can book a BlueSG car online or via a mobile app at least twenty minutes in advance, and they will be charged for the rent by duration rather than the distance travelled.
There will also be an option for a daily and annual membership.
The cars can be dropped off at any BlueSG station near the user’s destination. Parking spaces can be reserved in advance.
Electrified cars do not have tailpipes that emit pollution unlike conventional cars fuelled by petrol, and a BlueSG car will be able to travel for some 250km before it needs to be charged.
Bollore Group presently operates Autolib, the world’s largest electrified car-sharing programme in Paris. Since it commenced operating in December 2011, 31,000 conventional cars have been liquidated from the roads. It presently has a fleet of Four,000 electrical cars and 130,000 regular users.
The group was selected from thirteen participants in a request for information exercise in December 2014, Mr Khaw said.
National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der Horng believes that Singapore is a suitable location for EVs due to its petite geographical size and dense urban environment.
“To promote EVs here, sharing is the way to go as many Singaporeans still have a few practical considerations when determining to buy an electrified car,” he said.
NUS undergraduate Kuek Jia Jun, 24, who is impatient to attempt out the scheme, said: “I hope to be more environmentally conscious, so this will permit me to use an electrical car without needing to own and maintain one, which can be expensive.”