Critical Reflection

1. Module Learning

At the beginning of this module, I expressed that I want to be more confident in public speaking and improve on my articulation of words. This effective communication module has trained me be confident through the presentation and “selling of my solution” in front of the audience. With the feedback that was given by Professor Blackstone for oral presentation, it provides me with a better understanding of how I can further improve on myself. The key takeaway for this module would be to write effectively in my professional writing and meeting minutes. Writing a good meeting minutes is important as Professor Blackstone has mentioned that during IWSP, we will need to write a short meeting minutes for each meeting. Through the various assignments and the peer evaluation given by my classmates and Professor Blackstone, I have learned on how to improve on my language use, sentence structures and the correct APA citations. There are also various platforms which allows me to present, read aloud in class and help me to improve on my articulation of words. With the knowledge that I have gained throughout these 13 weeks, I will continue to apply what I have learned as learning is a never-ending journey.

2. Project Learning 

In the project, the main challenge that I face was to choose a good research topic. The first step of choosing a good research topic was the hardest as my team need to ensure that there were enough research articles to support our research topic, and there will be a direct focus. Initially, my team feels that our research topic is doable with enough secondary sources to back up our stand. However, when we were consulting Professor Blackstone our research idea, the team realized that there were some drawbacks that we have overlook, which makes it harder for us to conduct further research on the topic. My team did not give up and continue to research other possible topics that we could consider and managed to come up with another research topic for our project. From this, I have learned that there will always be challenges and obstacles for us to overcome, but the difficulties that I have faced will make me more determined to achieve my goals.

3. Presentation Showcase

As an audience at the presentation showcase, I find that all presentations given by the teams were a splendid one. Among all the teams, the team that caught my attention would be Team Bricknology that presented their proposal on implementing mycelium bricks for new estates in Sembawang. I also like how the team was able to be confident in selling their solution and good composure when standing in front of a large crowd presenting their proposal. I oversee the hard work and effort they put in to make each presentation a better one. As compared to the presentation showcase with the two presentations, I would say that there were huge improvements made in terms of their contents, delivery of slides and fluency in their speech. With all these improvements and their knowledge in the research topic that they are covering, the team has significantly made an impact on conveying their ideas of the proposal to the audience. 

Overall, I have enjoyed these 13 weeks of effective communication and it has been a fruitful journey for me. This module has allowed me to build my confidence in writing and expressing my ideas to my peers. Effective communication has also imparted me with valuable skills that will be effective in the future regardless of internship, working society and subsequent trimesters. Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Professor Blackstone for being an amazing instructor and to my peers for being there to make these possible.

Annotated Summary

Mersky, A., Sprei, F., Samaras, C., & Qian, Z. (2016). Effectiveness of incentives on electric vehicle adoption in Norway. Transportation Research Part D: Transport And Environment, 46, 56-68. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2016.03.011

This article focuses on why electric vehicles should be widely used and how to adopt the use of electric vehicles. The author states that the upstream pollution that they produce can be considered less severe as compared to petroleum vehicles. Incomplete combustion of fuels in internal combustion engine vehicles will cause harmful carbon dioxide emissions polluted to the environment. The article also highlights that although electric vehicles are costly, there are various policy mechanisms to use or switch to electric vehicles would be most cost-effective in the long run. The article provides a useful platform for our research project on the use of different kinds of incentives offered to influence consumers’ decisions in purchasing electric vehicles. Studies have shown that during the year 2000 to 2013, the total sales of EV has been constantly increasing in Norway. The increasing growth in the electric vehicle’s market is due to the incentives offered by the government to encourage greater usage of electric vehicles. Incentives provided for purchases of electric vehicles have also been introduced to consumers to adopt the use of electric vehicles throughout the years. While the research in the article was about mainly Norway, the article still provides useful information on how Singapore can adopt some of the incentives that are implemented by the Norwegian government can help to increase the greater usage of electric vehicles, which is a relevant aspect for our research project. 

Draft 3 Technical Report

1. Introduction 

   

    1.1 Background

According to the report ‘Incentives for Electric Vehicles in Norway‘, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) (2018) had introduced different ways to incentivize motorists who choose to use electric vehicles. Some of the incentives that the government has implemented were an exemption from registration tax, low annual tax, free municipal parking, having access to bus lanes, and many more. In Norway, the most important incentives would be financial incentives. The total cost of ownership of Plug-In Electric Vehicles(PEVs) is much lower as compared to the Internal Combustion Engine(ICEs). 

Based on the report, a study led by Haugneland, Lorentzen, Bu, & Hauge (2017) has shown that the main reason consumers will consider purchasing EVs is to save money with the different incentives provided by the government. Other studies based on surveys conducted for consumers had shown that operational cost and upfront investment are some of the vital considerations that consumers will look into before purchasing EVs. In Norway, the price of fossil fuels is relatively higher as compared to electricity. The transportation sector in Norway was heavily taxed, registration taxes on new vehicles, annual taxes, taxes on fuels and numerous toll roads were included. This allows the government to provide more incentives for consumers so that it may influence the consumer’s decisions to purchase different types of vehicles. 

Land Transport Authority (LTA), released a yearly vehicle statistic in 2018 regarding the motor vehicle population in Singapore along with the types of fuel used by the vehicles as shown in Figure 1. The statistics showed clearly that over the past 10 years, there is only a slight increase in the electric vehicles(EVs) population while petroleum, diesel and petrol-electric operated cars increased largely. 

With the growing amount of fuel consuming vehicles, the consumption of oil in Singapore has also increased greatly over the past 10 years. According to Census and Economic Information Center(CEIC) data, it was reported that Singapore’s Oil consumption was 1,448.792 Barrel/Day in December 2018 which is 2.1 percent more than that in Dec 2017 as shown in Figure 2. 

Singapore’s Oil Consumption data was updated annually, with an average of 457.718 Barrel/Day from Dec 1965 to 2018. This means that a vehicle is consuming at least 166,805 Barrels/Year. However, vehicles in Singapore consumed 528,520 Barrel/Year in 2018 which exceeds the average oil consumption from 1965 to 2018. This shows that oil consumption in Singapore is increasing at a tremendous pace. 

LTA has updated its latest road tax formula where it is used to calculate the car’s engine displacement or power. For petroleum vehicles with an engine capacity of 998cc, the road tax cost about $391 yearly while the road tax for electric vehicles with 120 horsepower is about 89kW costs about $1099 yearly. (CarBuyer, 2019) This means that owning an electric vehicle will need to pay more tax as compared to petroleum vehicles. 

Regarding the low usage of EVs, the main stakeholders would be the ministry of transport (MOT) as well as businesses related to the automobile industry. MOT is responsible for constructing and implementing policies that will greatly affect the actions taken to promote the use of electric vehicles. These policies can aid in promoting the adoption of new technologies for electric vehicles. The ministry of transport can provide more incentives for consumers who purchase EVs. Businesses that have a stake in this include local automobile businesses such as motor vehicle manufacturers. These businesses are responsible for advocating the use of electric vehicles to ensure that they have a sustainable business in the long run. The low usage of EVs also accounts for high carbon emissions from petroleum vehicles as providing more incentives will encourage motorists to adopt the use of EVs.

     1.2 Problem Statement

The use of electric vehicles in Singapore should be incremental for the next ten years and this could potentially reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in Singapore. (IDEAL) However, there are not many EVs in Singapore due to insufficient financial incentives provided for motorists who purchase and own EVs. (GAP) As such, the provision of different incentives should be implemented by the finance minister of Singapore to encourage more motorists to use EVs (GOAL). 

     

     1.3 Purpose Statement

This proposal aims to propose to Mr Khaw Boon Wan, transport minister of Singapore to allocate the different types of incentives to motorists who purchase and own the EVs. 

2. Proposed Solutions

The team referenced the electric vehicle’s benchmark in Norway and we came up with three solutions to increase the number of EVs in Singapore.

      2.1 Increase the amount of monetary incentives for motorists who purchase EVs

According to LTA with effect from 1 January, 2018 Singapore had revamped its carbon emission-based vehicle scheme (CEVS) to the broad-based vehicular emissions scheme (VES), considering the amount of emissions produced by a vehicle. Currently, under the VES, the maximum incentives that the government is providing is $20,000. In comparison to the cost of an electric vehicle in Singapore, the current rebate that the government is insufficient. To encourage motorists to purchase EVs, the government should consider increasing the amount of monetary incentives for EVs owners.

      2.2 Waiver of parking fees for own residential estate

In Norway, waiver of public parking fees was implemented in the past and it has a negative implication on the economic economy (Aasness, Odeck, 2015). The team noticed that Norway allowed waiver to multiple parking areas, which might encourage motorists to take advantage of this waiver system. Currently, Singapore charges the seasonal parking fees to motorist in order to park their vehicles in their own residential estate. Thus, the team proposes that motorists that own an EVs should have a waiver on their own residential estate. This can prevent motorists from taking advantage of the waiver of parking fees given to them. 

      2.3 Provide road tax subsidies for consumers who purchase EVs

Other than electric vehicles, the remaining vehicles are required to pay a sum of money each day as part of the motor insurance tax in Norway (Norweigian Motor Insurers’ Bureau, 2018). However, the team is aware that Norway did not impose the motor insurance tax for EVs as they want to encourage more motorists to use EVs. In Singapore, they impose road taxes for all vehicles to encourage motorists to use vehicles that are fuel-efficient and produce less emissions. The team proposes that the government should provide road tax subsidies rather than waiving off the road tax fully so that motorists can switch to using EVs. 

       2.4 Prioritize solution

The team has come up with three solutions and the team’s recommended prioritize solution is to increase the amount of monetary incentives for motorists who purchase and own EVs. Most motorists will take into consideration the financial factor when purchasing new cars. Therefore, the amount of incentive given would influence the consumer’s decision in purchasing EVs. To conclude, the team have decided to choose the first solution to be implemented in Singapore.

3. Benefits 

The team’s proposed solutions can lead to an increase in EVs in Singapore, having more motorists switching to EVs can reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency. 

     3.1 Reduce in carbon emissions

According to ‘Transport Policy’ (Noela,Rubensa,Kestera,Sovacoola, 2018) of the 227 interviews that was carried out ,167 shared that one of the more prominent benefits of using EVs is environmental benefit. The response of the 167 respondents is equivalent to 73% of the interviews. Out of those who mentioned emission, 99 interviews clearly mentioned about the benefits of reduction of carbon emissions by using Electric Vehicles (EVs) as compared to Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs). While 94 interviews also mentioned regarding the impact that EVs can have on decreasing local health emissions such as NOx. The table below has shown the data of the interview that reflects what the respondents think is the co-benefits of an electric vehicle. With the use of EVs, there will be fewer ICEVs on the road and therefore the emission of harmful gases to the environment will be reduced. The emission of carbon dioxide is commonly used to assess the impact the vehicle have caused to the environment. Charging of EVs reduced carbon dioxide emission by roughly 10% as compared to the base case of gasoline vehicles.In general, it is clear that EVs reduce the total carbon emission even in electricity systems. This is because of the high efficiency of electric motor as compared to the internal combustion engine.

The global EVs fleet consumed approximately 58 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2018 as compared to the total electricity demand of Switzerland in 2017 (IEA, 2019). Of all the vehicles, two-wheelers account the largest percentage of EV energy demand whereas light-duty vehicles show a stronger growth as compared to other transport modes in 2017 and 2018. China has accounted for 80% of the world's electricity demand for EVs in 2018. The global EV market in 2018 has emitted about 38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide as compared to the internal combustion engine fleet which emitted 78 million tonnes. This means that EBs can save approximately 40 million tonnes of carbon -- dioxide and reduces the carbon emissions caused to the environment. 

      3.2 Increase in energy efficiency

Typically, the energy density of an internal combustion engine is affected by the fuel tank size and is separated from the energy conversion device, which will decrease the balances between the compromising acceleration for cruising efficiency. The distinctly high energy density of the tank of liquid fuel reduces the utilization of an inefficient energy conversion device. 

While a BEV is competent of providing maximum power and average power at outstanding efficiency but has a fairly low energy density. BEVs attain approximately 3–6 mile kWh1 (INL, 2006) rely on the vehicle design and driver behaviour. 

This means that BEV provide a more balances compromising acceleration for cruising efficiency as the energy density is low throughout. 

4. Proposal Evaluation

In this section, the team’s drawbacks of proposed solutions will be evaluated and discussed.
     

    4.1 Challenges

One of the potential challenges posed to the proposed solutions would be the economic loss in Singapore. For example, waiver of parking fees means that parking spaces would be occupied at zero cost. Thus, this would lead to economic loss and adversely affect the economic sector in Singapore. The purpose of having road tax in Singapore is to encourage motorists to use vehicles that are fuel-efficient and produce less emissions. But providing road tax subsidies would also lead to economic loss in Singapore. Evs would be using the road just like any other vehicle, but EVs users would only be paying a lesser amount of road tax as compared to other motorists who have to pay the full amount. 

   4.2 Limitations

One of the limitations of the proposed solutions would the reduction of budget given to the transport sector. According to the report by the head of expenditure (2019), it shows that Singapore has reduced the budget allocated to the transport sector in its yearly budget. In the year 2018, the government had allocated 14.9% of its overall budget for the transport sector in terms of its operation and development cost. The report also shows that in 2019, there has been a slight drop in the budget allocation to the transport sector. The government had allocated 13.3% of the entire budget to the transport sector. The report shows that there has been a drop of 1.6% as compared to last year. Therefore it is probable that the transport sector may not have sufficient funding for the incentives for EVs having in mind the upcoming development that the government wants to carry out. 

5. Methods and Procedure

In this section, the team’s primary research and secondary research will be analyzed and evaluated.

     5.1 Primary Research

In an attempt to explore the need for providing different types of incentives for consumers who purchase EVs and to identify the limitation that was limiting the amount of monetary incentive given to consumers purchasing EVs, quantitative survey research was conducted. In the survey (refer to Appendix A), respondents were asked about what were their main concerns when purchasing EVs and the key factors that prevent them from buying EVs. 

    5.2 Secondary Research

To further supplement the findings obtained through primary research, secondary research was conducted. Research articles related to government websites, scholarly articles and other relevant information. 

6. Conclusion

The problem with EVs not widely used in Singapore has serious environmental implications as the majority of the motorists are using diesel/petroleum vehicles. The ICEVs can produce a large amount of carbon emissions which will be detrimental not only to the environment but also to the health of its citizens. It may lead to serious health and environmental issues in the long run. 

Other than using the proposed solution, Singapore could research on alternative ways to encourage Singaporeans to prioritize EVs over diesel/petroleum vehicles.

Since the transport minister has an important role to play in the incremental use of electric vehicles in the next 10 years, the allocation of different types of incentives for consumers who purchase and own EV would be a good initiative to encourage more motorists to switch from their petroleum/diesel vehicles. With greater use of electric vehicles in the long run, the carbon emissions caused to the environment can be greatly reduced. 

7. References

Aasness, M., & Odeck, J. (2015). The increase of electric vehicle usage in Norway—incentives and adverse effects. European Transport Research Review, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12544-015-0182-4

Census and Economic Information Center. (2018). Singapore oil consumption. Retrieved from https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/singapore/oil-consumption

Ecofys. (2018, September 03). Incentives for electric vehicles in Norway. Retrieved 25 October 2019, from https://www.euki.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/fact-sheet-incentives-for-electric-vehicles-no.pdf

Financial Security. (2019). Total estimates outlays for FY2019 by head of expenditure

International Energy Agency (2019), Global EV Outlook 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019, from www.iea.org/publications/reports/globalevoutlook2019/.

Land Transport Authority. (2019). Annual Vehicle Statistics 2018. Singapore: Land Transport Authority. Retrieved 25 October 2019, from

https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/dam/ltaweb/corp/PublicationsResearch/files/FactsandFigures/MVP01-4_MVP_by_fuel.pdf

Land Transport Authority. (2019, Jan 31). Vehicle tax structure. Retrieved 25 October 2019, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/roads-and-motoring/owning-a-vehicle/costs-of-owning-a-vehicle/tax-structure-for-cars.html

Orlov, A., & Kallbekken, S. (2019). The impact of consumer attitudes towards energy efficiency on car choice: Survey results from Norway. Journal Of Cleaner Production, 214, 816-822.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.326

Wong, D. (2019, October). A dummies guide to owning an electric vehicle in Singapore. Carbuyer. Retrieved from https://www.carbuyer.com.sg/a-dummies-guide-to-owning-an-electric-vehicle-in-singapore/


Appendix A - Survey of perception of electric vehicles

Based on the results shown, 68.3% of the respondents indicated that insufficient incentive given when purchasing EVs is the main factor that is stopping them from buying EVs. This result supports the team’s observation that there should be more incentives provided for consumers who purchase EVs or consider switching their petroleum/diesel vehicles to EVs. 

Results show that 65% of the respondents chose “incentive” as the factor that attracts them the most when purchasing EVs. 20% of the respondents chose “low maintenance cost”, 10 % of the respondents chose “positive environment effect” and 5 % chose “road tax subsidies”. This shows that incentives would be the main factor that attracts consumers to purchase or switch to EVs. 

Based on the results collected from the survey, it is clear that motorists in Singapore are currently not ready to buy electric vehicles. 33.3% of the respondents want to buy an electric vehicle in the next 5 years. Out of the 60 respondents, 8.3% of them do not wish to buy an electric vehicle. While 48.3 % of the respondents would want to buy an electric vehicle in the next 10 years. This shows that electric vehicle is currently not very popular in Singapore as the latest policies and schemes that are in place may not be what the citizens are looking for. 

Figure 1: Motor Vehicle Statistics 2018

Figure 2: Singapore’s oil consumption from 2017 to 2018

Draft 2 Technical Report

1. Introduction

    1.1 Background

Land Transport Authority (LTA) released a yearly vehicle statistic in 2018 regarding the motor vehicle population in Singapore along with the types of fuel used by the vehicles as shown in Figure 1. The statistics showed clearly that over the past 10 years, there is only a slight increase in the electric vehicles(EVs) population while petroleum, diesel and petrol-electric operated cars increased largely. 

With the growing amount of fuel consuming vehicles, the consumption of oil in Singapore has also increased greatly over the past 10 years. According to Census and Economic Information Center(CEIC) data (2019), Singapore’s oil consumption was 1,448.792 barrel/day in December 2018 which is 2.1 percent more than that in Dec 2017 as shown in Figure 2. 

Singapore’s oil consumption data was updated annually, with an average of 457.718 barrel/day from Dec 1965 to 2018. This means that a vehicle is consuming at least 166,805 Barrels/Year. However, vehicles in Singapore consumed 528,520 barrel/year in 2018 which exceeds the average oil consumption from 1965 to 2018. This shows that oil consumption in Singapore is increasing at a tremendous pace. 

LTA has updated its latest road tax formula where it is used to calculate the car’s engine displacement or power. For petroleum vehicles with an engine capacity of 998cc, the road tax cost about $391 yearly while the road tax for electric vehicles with 120 horsepower is about 89kW costs about $1099 yearly (CarBuyer, 2019) This means that owning an electric vehicle will need to pay more tax as compared to petroleum vehicles.  

Regarding the issue of insufficient publicity on EVs, the main stakeholders would be LTA as well as businesses related to the automobile industry. LTA is responsible for constructing and implementing policies that will greatly affect the actions taken to promote the use of electric vehicles. These policies can aid in promoting the adoption of new technologies for electric vehicles. The government can introduce campaigns to raise awareness to the public on the use of EVs in the long run. Businesses that have a stake in this issue include local automobile businesses such as motor vehicle manufacturers and petrol stations. These businesses are responsible for advocating the use of electric vehicles to ensure that they have a sustainable business in the long run. Insufficient publicity on EVs also accounts for high carbon emissions from petroleum vehicles as there is a lack of awareness to educate the public to adopt the use of EVs. 

According to the report ‘Incentives for Electric Vehicles in Norway‘, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) (2018) had introduced different ways to incentivize motorists who choose to use electric vehicles. Some of the incentives that the government has implemented were an exemption from registration tax, low annual tax, free municipal parking, having access to bus lanes, and many more. In Norway, the most important incentives would be financial incentives. The total cost of ownership of Plug-In Electric Vehicles(PEVs) is much lower as compared to the Internal Combustion Engine(ICEs). 

Based on the report, a study led by Haugneland, Lorentzen, Bu, & Hauge (2017) has shown that the main reason consumers will consider purchasing EVs is to save money with the different incentives provided by the government. Other studies based on surveys conducted for consumers had shown that operational cost and upfront investment are some of the vital considerations that consumers will look into before purchasing EVs. In Norway, the price of fossil fuels is relatively higher as compared to electricity. The transportation sector in Norway was heavily taxed, registration taxes on new vehicles, annual taxes, taxes on fuels and numerous toll roads were included. This allows the government to provide more incentives for consumers so that it can influence consumer’s decisions to purchase different types of vehicles. 

            1.2 Problem Statement

Motorists in Singapore are not using EVs due to insufficient publicity on electric vehicles and incentives provided by the government are inadequate.  Implementing policies to educate the public about EVs and providing more incentives to promote the use of EVs that can be considered as a sustainable mode of transport for motorists.

            1.3 Purpose Statement

This report aims to propose to Mr Heng Sweat Keat, the finance minister of Singapore to promote the use of EVs in Singapore by providing more incentives for motorists who use EVs.

2. Proposed Solutions

The team referenced the electric vehicle’s benchmark in Norway and we came up with three solutions to increase the number of EVs in Singapore. 

          2.1 Increase the number of incentives given to consumers that purchase EVs

The incentives that the government provides for consumers are insufficient therefore there is a need to increase the incentive amount for consumers who purchase EVs. According to the report Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) (2018), Plug-In Electric Vehicles(PEVs) is much lower as compared to Internal Combustion Engine(ICEs). Car owners usually will take into consideration the total cost of ownership before purchasing a new car. Therefore, incentives from the government will definitely encourage consumers to purchase EVs. Currently, Norway is the leader of EVs in the market and the main reason that the Norwegians are purchasing EVs is to save money. To reduce the total cost of ownership for its citizens, the Norweigian government provided a series of incentives for consumers who are using EVs. Some of the incentives that the Norwegian government offers are reducing company car tax, having access to bus lanes, Value-added tax (VAT) tax exemption and many more. VAT and road tolls had been successful in encouraging consumers in Norway to purchase EVs.

The team proposes that the government should impose 40 percent of incentives for consumers that purchase EVs.  

          2.2 Increase the availability of charging port for EVs 

According to the news article, most of the motorists are hesitant to purchase EVs due to the lack of charging port in Singapore (Choo,2018). Due to the lack of charging ports, the motorist has to buy their own charging port in their private estate or they would have to travel to places that have charge port to charge their vehicles. This means that the motorist will have to fork out more money to purchase the charging port. On the other hand, traveling to places that have charging port will also lead to the same problem, if the nearest charging port to the driver requires him/her to travel for 1 hour, this means that while travelling the motorist already uses up a huge part of the electric power in the vehicle. This also means that the driver has to spend more time on charging and traveling, which is totally unnecessary. Thus, by implementing more charging ports at the housing estate in Singapore, will reduce the unnecessary problem caused by a lack of charging ports. which will lead to a decrease in the reasons for not buying EVs and increase the amount of  EVs in Singapore. 

The team proposes that the charging area should consist of 5 charging stations which can charge up to 10 cars at the same time. Every housing estate should have at least 1 charging area within 5 km.

    2.3 Impose a higher tax on petroleum/diesel vehicles.

Tax on petroleum/diesel vehicles are currently much lesser as compared to EVs. The road tax for petroleum/diesel vehicles of 998cc is $391 yearly while the road tax for electric vehicles with 120 horsepower is about 89kW cost about $1099 yearly (Carbuyer, 2019). This shows that if the road tax for electric vehicles is higher, motorists would consider purchasing petroleum/diesel vehicles instead. Therefore, there is a need to increase the tax on petroleum/diesel vehicles to encourage motorists to switch to EVs. 

        2.4 Prioritize solution

The team has come up with three solutions and the team’s recommended prioritize solution is to increase the incentive amount for the motorist who purchases EVs. Most motorists will take into consideration the financial factor when purchasing new cars. Therefore, the amount of incentive given would influence the consumer’s decision in purchasing EVs. To conclude, the team has decided to choose the first solution to be implemented in Singapore.

3. Benefits

The team’s proposed solutions can lead to an increase in EVs in Singapore, having more motorists switching to EVs can reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency.

        3.1 Reduce in Carbon Emissions

According to ‘Transport Policy’ (Noela, Rubensa, Kestera, Sovacoola, 2018) of the 227 interviews that were carried out, 167 shared that one of the more prominent benefits of using EVs is an environmental benefit. The response of the 167 respondents is equivalent to 73% of the interviews. Out of those who mentioned emission, 99 interviews clearly mentioned about the benefits of reduction of carbon emissions by using Electric Vehicles (EVs) as compared to Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs).  While 94 interviews also mentioned the impact that EVs can have on decreasing local health emissions such as NOx. The table below has shown the data of the interview that reflects what the respondents think is the co-benefits of an electric vehicle. With the use of EVs, there will be fewer ICEVs on the road and therefore the emission of harmful gases to the environment will be reduced. The emission of carbon dioxide is commonly used to assess the impact the vehicle has caused to the environment. Charging of EVs reduced carbon dioxide emission by roughly 10% as compared to the base case of gasoline vehicles. In general, it is clear that EVs reduce the total carbon emission even in electricity systems. This is because of the high efficiency of the electric motor as compared to the internal combustion engine.

The global EVs fleet consumed approximately 58 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2018 as compared to the total electricity demand of Switzerland in 2017 (IEA, 2019). Of all the vehicles, two-wheelers account for the largest percentage of EV energy demand whereas light-duty vehicles show a stronger growth as compared to other transport modes in 2017 and 2018. China has accounted for 80% of the world's electricity demand for EVs in 2018. The global EV market in 2018 has emitted about 38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide as compared to the internal combustion engine fleet which emitted 78 million tonnes. This means that EBs can save approximately 40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide and reduces the carbon emissions caused to the environment.

        3.2 Increase in energy efficiency

Typically, the energy density of an internal combustion engine is affected by the fuel tank size and is separated from the energy conversion device, which will decrease the balances between the compromising acceleration for cruising efficiency. The distinctly high energy density of the tank of liquid fuel reduces the utilization of an inefficient energy conversion device. While a BEV is competent in providing maximum power and average power at outstanding efficiency but has a fairly low energy density. BEVs attain approximately 3–6 mile kWh1 (INL, 2006) rely on vehicle design and driver behavior. This means that BEV provides a more balance compromising acceleration for cruising efficiency as the energy density is low throughout.

4. Drawbacks of proposed solutions

            4.1 High cost of batteries installed in EVs

A class V3 EV with 24 KWh of battery size could only please approximately 80% of the car Z25’s needs. This also means that in order for an EV to travel at long distances, it would require an installation of multiple batteries which is not feasible due to the rise in cost and weight. This would extend the charging time of the vehicle. Currently, Z25 is irreplaceable with an EV in the absence of fast-charging or battery swapping.

4.2 Long charging time of EVs

Currently, the process of refueling an Internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) is much quicker and accessible as compared to ICEV.  The process of charging an EV is less accessible due to the location of the charging station and the time required to charge an EV fully. In contrast to petroleum vehicles that only take minutes to refuel, EVs take a longer charging time with the latest battery technology. According to (NCCS), the fast-charging battery can reach 80% within 20 to 30 minutes depending on the battery capacity and the speed of the charging station while most EVs engine requires at least 4 to 7 hours to reach a full charge.

To mitigate the long charging time of EVs, EVs users can consider planning their road journey carefully as running out of electricity could not be solved by a quick visit to the petrol station. This allows motorists to travel efficiently without having to worry that their vehicles will stop operating in the middle of their road journey. The full battery life of an EV last three days for motorists who travel less than 100 kilometers. For instance, the road distance for motorists travelling from Pasir Ris to Jurong East is 32 kilometers. This shows that the full battery life will only affect motorists who are travelling long distances. 

DRAFT #1 Technical Report_Introduction

1. Introduction

    1.1 Background

Land Transport Authority (LTA) released a yearly vehicle statistic in 2018 regarding the motor vehicle population in Singapore along with the types of fuel used by the vehicles as shown in Figure 1. The statistics showed clearly that over the past 10 years, there is only a slight increase in the electric vehicles(EVs) population while petroleum, diesel and petrol-electric operated cars increased largely. 

With the growing amount of fuel consuming vehicles, the consumption of oil in Singapore has also increased greatly over the past 10 years. According to Census and Economic Information Center(CEIC) data (2019), Singapore’s oil consumption was 1,448.792 barrel/day in December 2018 which is 2.1 percent more than that in Dec 2017 as shown in Figure 2. 

Singapore’s oil consumption data was updated annually, with an average of 457.718 barrel/day from Dec 1965 to 2018. This means that a vehicle is consuming at least 166,805 Barrels/Year. However, vehicles in Singapore consumed 528,520 barrel/year in 2018 which exceeds the average oil consumption from 1965 to 2018. This shows that oil consumption in Singapore is increasing at a tremendous pace. 

LTA has updated its latest road tax formula where it is used to calculate the car’s engine displacement or power. For petroleum vehicles with an engine capacity of 998cc, the road tax cost about $391 yearly while the road tax for electric vehicles with 120 horsepower is about 89kW costs about $1099 yearly (CarBuyer, 2019) This means that owning an electric vehicle will need to pay more tax as compared to petroleum vehicles.  

Regarding the issue of insufficient publicity on EVs, the main stakeholders would be LTA as well as businesses related to the automobile industry. LTA is responsible for constructing and implementing policies that will greatly affect the actions taken to promote the use of electric vehicles. These policies can aid in promoting the adoption of new technologies for electric vehicles. The government can introduce campaigns to raise awareness to the public on the use of EVs in the long run. Businesses that have a stake in this issue include local automobile businesses such as motor vehicle manufacturers and petrol stations. These businesses are responsible for advocating the use of electric vehicles to ensure that they have a sustainable business in the long run. Insufficient publicity on EVs also accounts for high carbon emissions from petroleum vehicles as there is a lack of awareness to educate the public to adopt the use of EVs. 

According to the report ‘Incentives for Electric Vehicles in Norway‘, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) (2018) had introduced different ways to incentivize motorists who choose to use electric vehicles. Some of the incentives that the government has implemented were an exemption from registration tax, low annual tax, free municipal parking, having access to bus lanes, and many more. In Norway, the most important incentives would be financial incentives. The total cost of ownership of Plug-In Electric Vehicles(PEVs) is much lower as compared to the Internal Combustion Engine(ICEs). 

Based on the report, a study led by Haugneland, Lorentzen, Bu, & Hauge (2017) has shown that the main reason consumers will consider purchasing EVs is to save money with the different incentives provided by the government. Other studies based on surveys conducted for consumers had shown that operational cost and upfront investment are some of the vital considerations that consumers will look into before purchasing EVs. In Norway, the price of fossil fuels is relatively higher as compared to electricity. The transportation sector in Norway was heavily taxed, registration taxes on new vehicles, annual taxes, taxes on fuels and numerous toll roads were included. This allows the government to provide more incentives for consumers so that it can influence consumer’s decisions to purchase different types of vehicles. 

            1.2 Problem Statement

Motorists in Singapore are not using EVs due to insufficient publicity on electric vehicles and incentives provided by the government are inadequate.  Implementing policies to educate the public about EVs and providing more incentives to promote the use of EVs that can be considered as a sustainable mode of transport for motorists.

            1.3 Purpose Statement

This report aims to propose to Mr Heng Sweat Keat, the finance minister of Singapore to promote the use of EVs in Singapore by providing more incentives for motorists who use EVs.

Draft #3 Summary_Reader Response: Tapping Tech for Smoother Traffic

In the excerpt from Urban Solutions “Tapping Tech for Smoother Traffic”, Tay (2018) expressed the need for Singapore to come up with more advanced traffic management measures by 21^st century to counter with the increasing number of vehicles on the road. In the article, Tay (2018) stated that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) incorporated technology also known as “Intelligent Support Systems” to improve traffic efficiency.  The author also stated that LTA had implemented the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) to ease road congestion. Therefore, the Electronic Road Parking (ERP) system was introduced in replacement of the ALS. Moving forward, LTA would be introducing an upcoming satellite ERP system to remove the gantries and motorists will be charged depending on the distance travelled on high-traffic roads (Tay 2018). The author concluded that Singapore aims to become a city where everyone is comfortable living by upgrading the transportation systems to enhance the smooth traffic for Singapore road users.  

Although LTA has proposed alternative traffic management measures with the use of smart technology for commuters to travel efficiently, the author failed to discuss how the use of different modes of transport such as autonomous vehicles, trains and buses would help to improve traffic flow for Singapore road users.

To begin, the use of Autonomous vehicles (AVs) was introduced to help improve traffic flow and ensure that its citizens can travel efficiently on the road. According to the magazine, Choi (2019) stated that AVs do not require much space as compared to normal vehicles. There is no need to install staircases and lifts in the carparks as AVs are returned through a machine. The available space can be used for future road infrastructure developments to accommodate the increasing vehicle population. Furthermore, according to the news article, Abdullah (2016) reported that at least 90 percent of road accidents is due to human error. There is a need to introduce AVs as another mode of transport so that it has great potential in reducing the number of accidents and enhance smooth traffic for road users.

The expansion of the railway network has also helped to enhance the traffic flow and improve on the accessibility for its citizens so that they would consider taking public transport instead of private transport. According to Loh (2019), he stated that LTA will be expanding the current rail network which includes “new stations and rail lines over the next 20 years”. With the additional of two new stations for the North-South Line (NSL) by the mid of 2030s, people living in those areas can save up to 30 minutes of time when travelling downtown area. With faster and convenient MRT services, it would attract more people to consider taking MRT instead of their own vehicles and commuters can enjoy fast travel without causing congestion on the roads.

Apart from the use of AVs and trains, bus developments such as the “North-South Corridor” are introduced so that this will reduce the number of vehicles on the road and improve traffic congestion. In its webpage, LTA (2019) stated that it will be introducing the 21.5km North-South Corridor also known as the “North-South Expressway" with dedicated bus lanes that will stretch from Woodlands to the city centre to be completed by 2026. With the dedicated bus lanes, commuters can save the travelling time to city areas by up to 30 minutes. With the implementation of bus developments, this will help to reduce heavy traffic from the northern and central areas during peak hours.

In conclusion, Tay explained the alternatives of traffic management measures proposed by LTA. However, he did not fully mention how the use of different transportation systems can improve traffic congestion issues and enhance smooth traffic for its citizens. LTA has introduced public transport developments such as the use of AVs and improvements made to trains and buses which allows commuters to travel efficiently with public transport instead of taking private transport.

References

Abdullah, Z (2016, December 13). Driverless vehicles could change laws, insurance policies. Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/driverless-vehicles-could-change-laws-insurance-policies

Choi, C, Q (2019). How self-driving cars might transform city parking. Ieee Spectrum. Retrieved from https://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/self-driving/autonomous-parking

Land Transport Authority. (2019, May 25). Land Transport Master Plan 2040: bring Singapore Together. Retrieved 30 September, 2019, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=de83f659-4b0d-4609-840e-3deb3ac9b4b9

Loh, J (2019, May 27). LTA just unveiled plans for more MRT stations and a possible new rail line that could cut 40 minutes of travel time to the city. Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.sg/lta-just-unveiled-plans-for-more-mrt-stations-and-a-possible-new-rail-line-that-could-cut-40-minutes-of-travel-time-to-the-city/

Tay, Q, W (2019, July 13). Tapping tech for smoother traffic. Urban Solution, Issue 13. Retrieved 28 September,2019, from https://www.clc.gov.sg/docs/default-source/urban-solutions/urb-sol-iss-13 pdfs/11_case_study-singapore-intelligent-transport-systems.pdf

Edited Version

In the excerpt from Urban Solutions “Tapping Tech for Smoother Traffic”, Tay (2018) expressed the need for Singapore to come up with more advanced traffic management measures by 21^st century to counter with the increasing number of vehicles on the road. In the article, Tay (2018) stated that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) incorporated technology also known as “Intelligent Support Systems” to improve traffic efficiency.  The author also stated that LTA had implemented the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) to ease road congestion. However, the Electronic Road Parking (ERP) system was introduced in replacement of the ALS. Moving forward, LTA would be introducing an upcoming satellite ERP system to remove the gantries and motorists would be charged depending on the distance travelled on high-traffic roads (Tay 2018). The author concluded that Singapore aims to become a city where everyone is comfortable living by upgrading the transportation systems to enhance the smooth traffic for Singapore road users.  

Although LTA has proposed alternative traffic management measures with the use of smart technology for commuters to travel efficiently, the author failed to discuss how the use of different modes of transport such as autonomous vehicles, trains and buses would help to improve traffic flow for Singapore road users.

To begin, the use of Autonomous vehicles (AVs) was introduced by LTA to help improve traffic flow and ensure that its citizens can travel safely on the road in Singapore. According to the magazine, Choi (2019) stated that AVs do not require much space as compared to normal vehicles. There is no need to install staircases and lifts in the carparks as the owners can returned the AVs at some locations and let the vehicles park themselves. The available space can be used for future road infrastructure developments to accommodate the increasing vehicle population. Furthermore, according to the news article, Abdullah (2016) reported that at least 90 percent of road accidents is due to human error. There is a need to introduce AVs as another mode of transport so that AVs can likely reduced the number of accidents and enhance smooth traffic for road users.

The expansion of the railway network has also helped to enhance the traffic flow for cars on the roads and improve on the accessibility for its citizens so that they would consider taking public transport instead of private transport. According to Loh (2019), he stated that LTA will be expanding the current rail network which includes “new stations and rail lines over the next 20 years”. With the extension of two new stations for the North-South Line (NSL) by the mid of 2030s, people living in those areas can save up to 30 minutes of time when travelling downtown area. Faster and more convenient MRT services would attract more people to consider taking MRT instead of their own vehicles and road users can enjoy fast travel without causing congestion on the roads.

Apart from the use of AVs and trains, bus developments such as the “North-South Corridor” are introduced so that this will reduce the number of vehicles on the road and improve traffic congestion. In its webpage, LTA (2019) stated that it will be introducing the 21.5km North-South Corridor also known as the “North-South Expressway" with dedicated bus lanes that will stretch from Woodlands to the city centre to be completed by 2026. With the dedicated bus lanes, commuters can save the travelling time to city areas by up to 30 minutes. The implementation of bus developments will help to reduce heavy traffic from the northern and central areas during peak hours.

In conclusion, Tay explained the alternatives of traffic management measures proposed by LTA. However, he did not fully mention how the use of different transportation systems can improve traffic congestion issues and enhance smooth traffic for its citizens. LTA has introduced public transport developments such as the use of AVs and improvements made to trains and buses which allows commuters to travel efficiently with public transport instead of taking private transport.

References

Abdullah, Z (2016, December 13). Driverless vehicles could change laws, insurance policies. Straits Times. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/driverless-vehicles-could-change-laws-insurance-policies

Choi, C, Q (2019). How self-driving cars might transform city parking. Ieee Spectrum. Retrieved from https://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/self-driving/autonomous-parking

Land Transport Authority. (2019, May 25). Land Transport Master Plan 2040: bring Singapore Together. Retrieved 30 September, 2019, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=de83f659-4b0d-4609-840e-3deb3ac9b4b9

Loh, J (2019, May 27). LTA just unveiled plans for more MRT stations and a possible new rail line that could cut 40 minutes of travel time to the city. Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.sg/lta-just-unveiled-plans-for-more-mrt-stations-and-a-possible-new-rail-line-that-could-cut-40-minutes-of-travel-time-to-the-city/

Tay, Q, W (2019, July 13). Tapping tech for smoother traffic. Urban Solution, Issue 13. Retrieved 28 September,2019, from https://www.clc.gov.sg/docs/default-source/urban-solutions/urb-sol-iss-13 pdfs/11_case_study-singapore-intelligent-transport-systems.pdf

 *Edited on 1/12/19

Draft #2 Summary_Reader Response: Tapping Tech for Smoother Traffic

In the excerpt from Urban Solutions “Tapping Tech for Smoother Traffic”, Tay (2018) expressed the need for Singapore to come up with more advanced traffic management measures by 21^st century to counter with the increasing number of vehicles on the road. In the article, Tay (2018) stated that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) incorporated technology also known as “Intelligent Support Systems” to improve traffic efficiency.  LTA has implemented the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) to ease road congestion. Therefore, the Electronic Road Parking (ERP) system was introduced in replacement of the ALS. Moving forward, LTA will be introducing an upcoming satellite ERP system to remove the gantries and motorists will be charged depending on the distance travelled on high-traffic roads. Tay (2018) concluded that Singapore aims to become a city where everyone is comfortable living by upgrading the transportation systems to enhance the smooth traffic for road users.  

Although LTA has proposed alternative traffic management measures with the use of smart technology for commuters to travel efficiently, the author fails to discuss how different modes of transport such as autonomous vehicles, trains, and buses help to improve traffic flow for road users.

Firstly, the use of Autonomous vehicles (AVs) helps to improve traffic flow and reduce traffic accidents. In the magazine “How Self-Driving Cars Might Transform City Parking”, Choi (2019) stated that AVs do not require much space as compared to normal vehicles. There is no need to install staircases and lifts in the carparks as AVs are returned through a machine. The available space can be used for future road infrastructure developments to accommodate the increasing vehicle population. Furthermore, according to the article “Driverless vehicles could change laws, insurance policies”, Abdullah (2016) reported that at least 90 percent of road accidents are due to human error. There is a need to introduce AVs as another mode of transport so that it has great potential in reducing the number of accidents and improve traffic flow.

Secondly, the expansion of the railway network can help to improve the accessibility for its citizens so that they would take public transport instead of own vehicle. According to the article “LTA just unveiled plans for more MRT stations and a possible new rail line that could cut 40 minutes of travel time to the city”, Loh (2019) stated that LTA will be expanding the current rail network which includes “new stations and rail lines over the next 20 years”. With the addition of two new stations for the North-South Line (NSL) by the mid of 2030s, people living in those areas can save up to 30 minutes of time when travelling downtown area. With faster and convenient MRT services, it would attract more people to consider taking MRT instead of their own vehicles. Therefore, commuters can enjoy fast travel without congesting the roads.

Lastly, in order to reduce the number of vehicles on the road, bus developments such as the “North-South Corridor” is introduced so that it can improve traffic congestion on the roads.  In the LTA’s webpage, LTA (2019) stated that they will be introducing the 21.5km North-South Corridor also known as the “North-South Expressway" with dedicated bus lanes that will stretch from Woodlands to the city centre to be completed by 2026. With the dedicated bus lanes, commuters can save the travelling time to city areas by up to 30 minutes. Therefore, it reduces heavy traffic from the northern and central areas during peak hours.

To conclude, Tay explained the alternatives of traffic management measures proposed by LTA. However, she did not fully mention how different transportation systems can improve traffic congestion issues and enhance smooth traffic for its citizens.

References

1. Tay, Q, W (2019, July 13). Tapping Tech for Smoother Traffic. Retrieved from https://www.clc.gov.sg/docs/default-source/urban-solutions/urb-sol-iss13-pdfs/11_case_study-singapore-intelligent-transport-systems.pdf
2. Choi, C, Q (2019, February 20). How Self-Driving Cars Might Transform City Parking. Retrieved from https://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/self-driving/autonomous-parking
3. Abdullah, Z (2016, December 13). Driverless vehicles could change laws, insurance policies. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/driverless-vehicles-could-change-laws-insurance-policies
4. Loh, J (2019, May 27). LTA just unveiled plans for more MRT stations and a possible new rail line that could cut 40 minutes of travel time to the city. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.sg/lta-just-unveiled-plans-for-more-mrt-stations-and-a-possible-new-rail-line-that-could-cut-40-minutes-of-travel-time-to-the-city/
5. Land Transport Authority (2019, May 25). Land Transport Master Plan 2040: Bring Singapore Together. Retrieved from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=de83f659-4b0d-4609-840e-3deb3ac9b4b9