Singapore's electric car-sharing programme to roll out in December
Singapore will be getting its first large-scale electric vehicle (EV) car-sharing programme from December, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a press release on Wednesday (27 September).
To be rolled out progressively, the island-wide programme will provide users with the convenience and flexibility of returning the EV at locations different from their point of pick-up.
Ground-breaking works for the installation of the first 30 BlueSG charging stations will commence by the end of September. There will be a total of 120 charging points.
Out of the 30 BlueSG charging stations, 18 of them will be located across public housing estates such as Ang Mo Kio, Jurong East, Tampines and Yishun. Ten stations will be located within the city centre and its fringes, while the last two will be located in the industrial and commercial estates of one-north and Science Park.
The EV car-sharing programme, which was announced in June last year, is developed and run by BlueSG Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of the French transport company Bolloré Group.
It is envisioned that in the near future, 500 charging stations equipped with 2,000 charging points will be rolled out nation-wide, with 400 of the charging points for public use. The first batch of Bluecars commissioned in Singapore will form part of a 1,000-strong EV fleet in the future.
LTA’s Chief Technology Officer, Lam Wee Shann, said: “BlueSG’s one-way car-sharing service will play an integral part in achieving our car-lite vision, providing the public with another convenient option for point-to-point transport, and reducing reliance on private vehicles.”
As the second-largest EV car-sharing service worldwide after Paris, the programme hopes to be convenient, beneficial and enjoyable for people.
“As we continue to make good progress, we are confident that the inaugural roll-out will be a great success and build Singapore’s regional leadership in the sector,” said Marie Bolloré, Managing Director of Blue Solutions.
BlueSG Pte Ltd also officially unveiled their Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore on Wednesday, which will oversee its e-mobility, energy management and system integration business for the region. The hub will house over 30 employees by the end of the year and aims to create a total of about 250 jobs in Singapore by 2021.
“The opening of BlueSG’s regional headquarters in Singapore marks an important milestone, bringing us one step closer to a more sustainable and efficient transport system,” said Lam.
Other Singapore stories:
