Singapore launches electric vehicle test-bed

SINGAPORE: Singapore is testing out several electric vehicle (EV) prototypes and technologies. The inter-agency Electric Vehicle Taskforce announced the launch of the electric vehicle test-bed on Saturday.

The taskforce is led by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

The aim of the test-bed is to test and gauge different EV prototypes and charging technologies, given Singapore's urbanised environment and road conditions, before deciding whether to roll it out for mass use.

For a start, the test-bed will be at three outdoor and two indoor charging stations and involve five Mitsubishi i-MiEVs and four smart electric drive Daimler vehicles.

Starting from just nine, the number of electric cars taking part in this test-bed is expected to grow to 95 before the trial ends in 2013. By then, there will also be 63 charging stations.

Five of these stations are ready and will also start collecting data on charging patterns as part of the test-bed.

The test-bed will provide insights to guide the planning for future deployment of EVs. The data will also help determine the optimal ratio of charging stations to vehicles.

Explained LTA's chief executive Chew Hock Yong: "One example would be how the battery fares in the local environment. We'll be collecting data at the charging points. So, things like how often the cars are charged and how much electricity they use up....will allow us to determine how efficient the car is in a local environment."

The charging stations have been designed to automatically collect data on the charging patterns of EV test-bed participants.

The National University of Singapore's Energy Studies Insititute has been appointed to lead a Cost Benefit Analysis on the data.

Other things that the test-bed will look at are vehicles operability and cost, suitability of the business model, driving experience and barriers to adoption, consumer's acceptance, level of penetration of electric vehicles at current and proposed level of incentives and the level of infrastructure development required to meet the expected demand from EVs in the coming years.

The charging stations will be installed near the homes or offices of test-bed participants and it will cost them a flat rate of S$180 per month for unlimited charging of their electric vehicles.

After a full charge of over eight hours, electric cars, which are twice as energy efficient as normal ones, can run for about 90km to 160km. This is about twice the daily driving distance in Singapore, which is around 55km in Singapore.

The first batch of participants will include the LTA, Ministry of Manpower, Mitsubishi Corporation and Senoko Energy. The Electric Vehicle Taskforce hopes more will come on board.

EMA's chief executive Chee Hong Tat said that Singapore is an ideal location for the test-bed.

"One advantage that we have is that we are a small compact urbanised environment, which makes it in a way, convenient. Your travelling distances are not too long. It's not difficult for you to set up charging stations around the island."

Interested companies that want to buy an electric vehicle to participate in the test-bed can apply for the Enhanced Technology Innovation and Development Scheme (TIDES-PLUS) which waives all vehicle taxes such as Additional Registration Fees (ARF), Certificate of Entitlement (COE), road tax and excise duty for six years.

The LTA said the cost of buying a Mitsubishi i-MiEV, for example, is about S$90,000, after waiving vehicle taxes under the TIDES-PLUS scheme.

The tests will be conducted until the end of 2013.