28% of new light goods vehicle registrations in 2022 are electric: Iswaran

THE adoption of electric light goods vehicles (LGVs) in Singapore has grown significantly to about 28 per cent of new LGV registrations in 2022 to date, up from 0.4 per cent in 2020, said Minister for Transport S Iswaran in Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 30). “This is the highest among all vehicle categories,” he noted.

Iswaran was addressing a question by People’s Action Party Member of Parliament Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC), who asked whether the government will roll out schemes to incentivise small and medium-sized enterprises to pivot to renting electric vehicles (EV) for commercial use. LGVs are one of four main types of commercial vehicles in Singapore.

The transport minister said that incentives such as the Commercial Vehicle Emissions Scheme and Early Turnover Scheme have already been implemented to encourage electric LGV purchases, including those by vehicle rental companies. “We will continue to monitor and review the efficacy of and need for incentives,” he added.

Asked by Saktiandi about whether the ministry is targeting any specific sectors for motor vehicles’ and motorcycles’ EV transitions, Iswaran said that it is not doing so, as the transition creates a general benefit to the overall ecosystem in reducing emissions.

“However, of course, in certain sectors, where utilisation of the vehicles may be more intensive, the conversion can take place earlier and to a greater extent. Then the beneficial outcomes will also be similarly enhanced,” he said, pointing out plans for half of Singapore’s bus fleet to be fully electric by the end of the decade.

Technology may also play a role in the switch to EVs across sectors, Iswaran said. For example, adoption of electrification in very heavy vehicles is varied, as other solutions such as hydrogen may be preferred.

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Addressing another supplementary question from Saktiandi about support for small businesses attempting to rent out electric motorcycles, Iswaran said that the Land Transport Authority is coordinating two trials for EVs, bringing together different parties such as motorcycle suppliers, charging solution suppliers and users including delivery companies.

There are different models of EVs, presenting a challenge as they have different safety concerns, he added. Whether a battery can be safely removed and transported, and whether it poses a fire hazard, are among these considerations.