Reader response draft 2

In the article, “Electric vehicles will take over Singapore”, Kuttan (2020) states that by 2040, Singapore targets to “phase out internal combustion vehicles” and move towards the wider adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). The article mentions factors like lack of national charging infrastructure, high cost of EVs, the driving range and charging time are of concern. Despite that, the Singapore government has set a goal of creating 28,000 charging points, with the cooperation of private-sector incumbents. 

The article also states ways to expedite the adoption of EVs through measures like creating a separate Certification of Entitlement (COE) and having sufficient technical personnel with relevant skills to upkeep the ecosystem. Additionally, offering incentives in early conversion schemes can aid in the speed of rolling out EVs. While Singapore has set targets towards the adoption of electric vehicles, the journey of implementation will be tough due to the high initial cost of EVs and lack of charging infrastructure across Singapore. 

As much as EVs are a better source of transportation due to its lesser emission of carbon dioxide, the cost of manufacturing them is incredibly high. The lithium ion batteries used in them constitute 25 - 50% of the total EV cost. According to a Bloomberg Quint article titled “Why building an electric car is so expensive, for now” (2020), the average battery pack cost of a typical electric vehicle currently stands at USD$156 per kilowatt hour which works out to about USD$7,350. The reason for such high cost is due to the materials used in the batteries. The batteries consist of a component named cathode, which is one of the two electrodes that store and release a charge. In it, metals such as cobalt and lithium are used and they are required to be “mined, processed and converted into high-purity chemical compounds .” (David and Kyunghee, 2020). As a result, that explains the heavy price tag on EVs. 

Furthermore, now that petroleum is being replaced with batteries, where do one go when the battery needs a recharge ? With that question in mind, here comes the issue of having sufficient charging infrastructures. Singapore is a densely populated country, with the majority of the population staying in HDBs. In order to facilitate the charging experience and provide convenience for owners, there ought to be a minimum number of charging stations in all car parks across Singapore. Car owners in Singapore are already used to the convenience of having petrol stations in the heartlands so a similar concept should be adopted for charging stations as well. Therefore, there should be adequate considerations made by the government before the mass adoption of EVs to prevent any hassle for owners. 

On the contrary, EVs are low maintenance and cost efficient in the long run. Due to the fact that the vehicle runs from a battery source, there are far fewer moving parts in the vehicle and that also means lesser parts to maintain. In an article titled “Electric vehicles may be fast and low-maintenance, but are they a real climate solution ?” (2021), a Tesla Model S’s owner shared that “He has not needed to change the brakes in five years because of the Model S’ regenerative braking system.” Likewise, similar views are stated on leading car manufacturer KIA’s website (n.d.) and I quote,  “No oil to change, no gaskets to replace, no valves to clog up, electric cars do not have internal combustion engines, so these costs disappear.”  Thus, owning an electric vehicle leads to significant long term savings.

In conclusion, despite EVs being more cost efficient in the long run, the high initial cost of owning EVs and the lack of charging infrastructures still presents a problem and should be well considered leading up to the adoption of EVs in Singapore. 

References :

Siong.O and Neo.C.C. (2021, 19 June).  Electric vehicles may be fast and low-maintenance, but are they a real climate solution?  CNA. [Online] 

Available:https://www.channelnewsasia.com/electric-vehicles-may-be-fast-and-low-maintenance-are-they-real-climate-solution-2030271 [Accessed: 5-Oct-2021]

Kuttan.S.C. (2020, 23 Feb).  Electric vehicles will take over Singapore. But here’s what must happen first. CNA. [Online] 

Available:https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/singapore-budget-2020-electric-vehicles-ice-ves-hybrid-car-2040-1338746 [Accessed: 29-Sept-2021]

Abdullah.A.Z. (2021, 18 Feb).  Obstacles remain in electric vehicle adoption despite incentives, say transport experts and drivers. CNA. [Online] 

Available:https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/obstacles-remain-electric-vehicle-despite-incentives-transport-359331 [Accessed: 5-Oct-2021]

Nilsen.E. (2021, 4 June).  The fastest way to get more people to buy electric vehicles. VOX. [Online]  

Available: https://www.vox.com/22463219/electric-vehicles-charging-station-infrastructure [Accessed: 5-Oct-2021]

David.S and Kyunghee.P. (2020, 23 Oct). Why Building an Electric Car Is So Expensive, For Now. BloombergQuint.  [Online] 

Available:https://www.bloombergquint.com/quicktakes/why-building-an-electric-car-is-so-expensive-for-now-quicktake [Accessed: 8-Oct-2021]

KIA. (n.d.). Are electric cars cheaper to maintain ? [Online] Available: https://www.kia.com/sg/discover-kia/ask/are-electric-cars-cheaper-to-maintain.html 

[Accessed: 10-Oct-2021]