We refer to Mr Perinpanayagam James’ letter “Not worth buying EV after all” (May 31) and Mr Lim Poh Seng’s letter “Ways to encourage ownership of electric vehicles” (June 4).

As Mr Lim highlighted, the most environmentally friendly modes of travel are not by car but by walking, cycling and riding public transport. For those who need to drive, switching to an electric vehicle (EV) will reduce emissions.

To support this switch, the Government has implemented several measures to reduce the upfront cost difference between electric and hybrid/internal combustion engine vehicles. For instance, there is the Electric Vehicle Early Adoption Incentive and the enhanced Vehicular Emissions Scheme that will provide combined rebates of up to $40,000 when an EV is purchased.

EVs, while less pollutive, should not be exempted from usage charges, which have been levied by way of the fuel excise duty. Since EVs are not subject to the fuel excise duty, the Additional Flat Component is levied as an interim measure. We will continue to review our vehicular taxes and policies, which include both the upfront subsidies and recurrent costs for car owners.

We are also expanding charging infrastructure to support Singapore’s growing EV population. Over 6,200 charging points are already in operation. Over one in three HDB car parks already have EV chargers, and every HDB town will be EV-ready by 2025.

We will also be installing fast chargers in HDB neighbourhood and town centres. In addition, to keep pace with the latest technological advancements, we are also working with the industry to facilitate sandbox trials for innovative EV charging solutions, including battery swopping.


Mark Tan
Group Director, Technology and Industry Development
Land Transport Authority