SINGAPORE: Private charter bus company Westpoint Transit has four electric heavy vehicles among its fleet of 60, having chosen to go green early in 2019.
This allows it to save about 40 per cent on diesel costs annually.
But going green has its challenges – an electric bus costs between S$90,000 (US$67,000) and S$500,000 before Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices, depending on its size.
So far, the firm has spent about S$900,000 on its electric vehicles.
For this reason, it counts among the industry players that have welcomed the government’s announcement earlier this month.
From next year onwards, owners of new fully electric heavy vehicles will receive an incentive of S$40,000 for every vehicle, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor in her ministry’s Committee of Supply debate on Mar 5.
This sum will be distributed over three years: S$13,000 in each of the first two years, and S$14,000 in the third.
The government will also subsidise charger costs under the new Electric Heavy Vehicle Charger Grant, with owners able to get co-funding of up to S$30,000 per accompanying charger.
These are in line with Singapore’s push to have all vehicles run on cleaner energy by 2040.
Still, heavy vehicle owners told CNA that they need more charging spots. They also expressed hope for lower charger installation costs for their electric fleets, even with the government’s co-funding.
