Summary/Reader Response Draft #1

The article “ Electric vehicles will take over Singapore. But here’s what must happen first” (Kuttan, 2020) mentioned that Singapore has declared that it plans to retire internal combustion engines by 2040, paving the way for electric vehicles. Kuttan mentions that 28,000 charging points are to be installed in collaboration with major energy companies. However, experts have warned that a supply shock of electric vehicles may threaten the goal. Additionally, Singapore's goal may seem far-fetched in comparison to the current leading country in the adoption of electric vehicles - Norway. Singapore aims to have roughly 10 times more charging point density and has not implemented incentives for drivers to buy electric vehicles, unlike Norway. As Singapore looks towards the use of EVs, there are issues that can be resolved to effectively reduce carbon footprint. The author claims that motivating public transport use would ensure lesser cars are driven on roads. The author further explains that converting commercial transport aggressively to EVs, cutting down on petrol vehicles, would reduce environmental issues. With these changes, Kuttan encourages Singaporeans to refine the competency of workers to safeguard the consistency of EVs for the future. Despite the EVs' limitations on charging points, adopting EVs can tremendously reduce the global carbon output and benefit a country's economy.

In general, the output of carbon dioxide emissions is commonly used to assess how effective EVs are. In Singapore, all vehicles that are driven on roads today contributes up to 6.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, in which only 0.5 percent of pollution is contributed by EVs (Ning, 2021). Ning tells us that Singapore aims to reach zero petrol vehicles to be driven on roads by 2040. The pollution caused by combustion engines has already awakened countries to craft their own green solutions to reduce carbon output. As of now, there are countries that have already began to do their part in this global issue. According to Juul and Meibom (2011), the integration of the electric power and transportation in Denmark was calculated and showed that 85% of transportation-related CO2 emissions could be potentially reduced. Although the data is an initial calculation, it can be a positive prediction that can potentially be followed up by other countries that are planning to adopt EVs. Therefore, countries that have already stepped up to make a difference should be exemplary to other countries. When more countries contribute their part, the climate would be increasingly preserved for a greener future. 

 

As demand for EVs is on a global scale to fight off climate change, it became an economical feat as well. The article "Why electric cars are good for the economy" (Nicholson, 2021) tells us that hybrid vehicle sales have largely increased by 98.2 percent, but diesel and petrol vehicles dropped in sales by 25.2 percent in Australia. It has been shown in Australia that many consumers are leaning towards EVs as the transition of transportation takes place globally. Nicholson explains that EVs have brought in more benefits for Australia such as income tax by spending more on employment than supplying and selling fuel.  With economic benefits that are evident in other countries, this can influence the global economic market and create new financial targets to achieve while adopting a global change in transportation. This can open doors to current automakers who intend to splurge newer EV models into the market and contribute to this global transition of transportation. In my opinion, the timeframe for a huge economic boost from EVs would still be early as many countries have yet to fully electrify their modes of transport, but it would bear fruit when the demand for EVs reaches its peak in the future. 

 

With EVs causing a sudden shift in vehicle usage for a global cause, it has its own setbacks as well. One main factor is the difficulties faced when installing charging points in a densely populated environment. According to Teo (2020), the commercial and network director Ms Jenny Lim argues that charging needs sufficient space not just for the lot but for equipment installation as well. Ms Lim tells us that underground cables couple potentially lead to delays or aborts in constructions. The author warns that constructing outdoor charging points is a slow process to build and can be costly due to trenching regulations of concealing electric cables. Teo mentions that it costs more to build and install when the charging point is distant from the power source. In other countries that have already implemented EVs earlier, consumers do have their say as well. The article "'Charger Desert' in Big Cities Keeps Electric Cars from Mainstream"(Ulrich, 2020) tells us that people would afford an EV if they had a comfortable place to plug it in. Ulrich insists that consumers would find it impractical to buy an EV and not have a nearby place to charge. In my opinion, the input from consumers can influence the popularity and demand of EVs in the future. Hence, charging points can potentially dictate consumers input that can determine their support of getting an EV..

 

Singapore's involvement in EVs might be at the tip of the iceberg as compared to other countries with major contributions that are already been made. With critical planning and proper management of adopting EVs, Singapore will be on par with other countries. Even with its constraints, the EVs’ output is massive on a global scale environmentally and economically. If this global transition is done successfully and well preserved, we can potentially observe a greener environment for everyone. 

References:

Nicholson, T. (2021, February 16). Why electric cars are good for the economy. RACV. Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://www.racv.com.au/royalauto/transport/electric-vehicles/economic-benefits-electric-cars.html

Ning. (2021, August 22). Green vehicles add power to the fight against climate change. TheStraitsTimes. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/green-vehicles-add-power-to-the-fight-against-climate-change

Optimal configuration of an integrated power and transport system. (2011). Energy, 36(5), 3223–3350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2011.03.058

Teo, G. (2020, March 12). 8,000 charging stations for electric cars is possible - but where? Industry players weigh in. TheStraitsTimes. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/electric-vehicles-budget-2020-charging-points-energy-770251

Ulrich, L. (2020, April 16). ‘Charger Desert’ in Big Cities Keeps Electric Cars From Mainstream. TheNewYorkTimes. Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/business/electric-cars-cities-chargers.html

Wei, T. T. (2021, September 4). 620 electric vehicle chargers to be installed at public carparks in the next 12 months. TheStraitsTimes. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/620-electric-vehicle-chargers-to-be-installed-at-public-carparks-in-the-next-12