Electric Vehicles & EV Charging Points: Your guide to electric cars in Singapore (2022)

The government wants to convince Singaporean drivers to switch to Electric Vehicles (EVs)–at least those who haven’t gotten a heart attack from soaring COE prices and still insist on driving.

Most people are perfectly happy to make environmentally friendly choices so long as it does not cost more and does not inconvenience them.

And that’s precisely one of the key drawbacks to owning an EV in Singapore—unless you live in a landed house, getting your vehicle charged is a pain as there just aren’t that many EV charging points available. Sure, many petrol stations now have a few meagre EV charging stations, but it means having to hang around at Cheers until your vehicle is done charging.

With its ambitions to phase out international combustion engine vehicles by 2040, the government intends to exponentially increase the number of EV charging stations islandwide. So, is it time to go electric?

Why are electric cars better?

There’s a reason EVs are a huge emerging industry. They have certain advantages both for owners and for the environment, such as the following:

• Lower carbon emissions – On average, EVs are supposed to have a lower carbon footprint over their lifetime. BUT, manufacturing an EV has a higher carbon footprint than manufacturing a conventional car due to the battery. So, you need to clock a certain mileage before the EV starts being more climate-friendly than conventional cars. The COE system, which encourages car owners to scrap their vehicles and buy new ones after 10 years, might actually prevent EVs from realising their climate-friendly potential.
• Cleaner for the environment – When on the road, EVs don’t belch exhaust like combustion engines. Hopefully, that will mean bluer skies for Singapore.
• More energy efficient – Compared to combustion engines, EVs can use energy almost 5 times more efficiently.
• Quieter – EVs run very silently, and so contribute less to noise pollution. This can be a hazard to pedestrians, however, so people will have to learn not to cross the road while staring at their smartphones.
• Automatic transmission – EVs are all automatic and have only one transmission, which is great for those who only have an auto licence. The auto vs manual driving debate is one based on personal preference, but auto is definitely easier and more idiot-proof.
• Cheaper than pumping petrol – It costs less to drive an EV than a combustion engine car, because the amount of electricity you need to travel the same distance costs less than the petrol you’d need to pump. That said, EVs are more expensive to purchase upfront, so you need to drive for some time before offsetting the price of the car.

List of electric vehicles in Singapore

Don’t know where to look? Here are EV models available in Singapore and how much they cost.

Electric car	Price (Jan 2022)
Audi e-tron 50	$357,960
BMW IX Drive40	$408,888
BMW IX3	$291,888
BYD e6	$135,888
BYD M3e	$128,888
Ferrari SF90 Stradale	$1,818,000
Honda E	$184,988
Hyundai IONIQ Electric	$166,888
Hyundai KONA Electric	$167,888
Jaguar I-Pace	$392,999
Kia Niro EV	$186,999
Lexus UX 300e	$266,800
Lexus NX 450h+ F Sport	$347,800
MG ZS EV	$191,888
MG 5 EV	$187,888
Mercedes E300E Avantgarde FL	$315,888
Mercedes EQA	$265,888
Mercedes EQC400	$346,888
Mini Electric	$190,888
Nissan Kicks	$123,888
Polestar 2	$220,000
Porsche Taycan	$345,858
Tesla Model 3	$113,245 (without COE)
Volvo XC40 T5 Recharge	$172,893

(All prices taken from ADs, PIs, LTA Jan 2022 registrations or SGCarMart)

Electric vehicle charging stations in Singapore

We’ve waxed lyrical about the advantages of EVs, but what about the disadvantages? There are two big ones: the higher purchase price of an EV, and getting the damn thing charged.

At the moment, there just aren’t enough charging stations in Singapore to make EVs a convenient mode of transport.

Unless the EV charging point is within easy walking distance of your home or you fancy spending hours reading the magazines at the petrol station’s convenience store, this is a big impediment, especially if you drive a lot and need to charge the car once a week or more.

The government plans to rectify this by installing more EV charging points in HDB and private carparks, but at the moment, here’s where you can get your EV charged:

• Shell Recharge (50kW) – 87 stations such as Bedok, Punggol, Paya Lebar, Hougang, Toa Payoh, Bukit Timah

• Caltex – Yishun, Changi, Jurong West, Dunearn

• BlueSG BlueCharge (T2 inlet) – Over 300 stations

• SP Group (AC & DC) – Over 450 stations in shopping malls, office buildings, etc.

• ChargeNow by BMW (kW) – 318 stations at Shell Recharge

• Tesla– Orchard Central, Katong V, Millenia Walk, Star Vista

• Porsche: Gardens by the Bay, South Beach, Sembawang Country Club, City Square Mall, Quayside Isle

How long does it take to charge an electric vehicle?

EV charging can take anywhere from 30 minutes to half a day.

At public EV charging points, you’re usually looking at a charging time of 30 minutes to three or four hours, depending on your vehicle’s battery and the charger you’re using.

For wall chargers that can be set up at home, you’re usually looking at a much longer charging time of five to ten hours.

How far can electric vehicles go on a charge?

Different brands and models will boast different mileage depending on the battery pack, so the range of an EV is one of the most important specs to consider when shopping for one.

If you’re willing to pay for convenience, there are some long range electric cars like Tesla Model S and Tesla Model 3 Long Range, which naturally cost more (although BYD e6 seems to have bucked the trend by offering a long range at budget prices).

Generally speaking, the range of EVs is about 150 to 600 km on a full charge, with the average EV model being in the 300+ km range.

Here’s a sampling of some popular models and their mileage.

Model	Mileage on full charge
BYD e6	522km
Porsche Taycan	484 km
MG ZS EV	440 km
Tesla Model 3	438km
Mercedes EQA	426 km
Hyundai KONA Electric	395 km
BMW IX Drive40	390 km
BMW IX Drive40	390 km
Audi e-tron 50	280 km
Honda E	220 km

How clean are electric vehicles?

(Photo: Image source)

According to the European Federation for Transport and Environment, the average electric car in the EU is almost three times better for the environment than a conventional car. EVs are expected to get cleaner over the next few years, and they expect them to be over four times cleaner than conventional cars by 2040.

In conducting this assessment, they took into consideration car production, battery production, electricity use for charging, battery footprint and realistic lifetime mileage, and compared it to the real-world emissions of conventional cars.

Do note that the above study was conducted based on the estimated lifetime of a car. In Singapore, due to the COE system, cars tend to have a much shorter lifespan as owners often opt to scrap and replace their cars rather than renew the COE after 10 years.

This means that for those who seldom use their cars, the carbon footprint of buying a second hand combustion engine car might still be lower than buying a brand new EV.

Another thing to note is that Singapore’s energy sources are less clean than the EU’s. 22.1% of energy consumed in the EU is from renewable sources, compared to 1.6% in Singapore. In other words, our electricity isn’t very clean. That said, Singapore plans to import energy from low-carbon sources by 2035, so the situation is likely to improve.

Car insurance for electric vehicles in Singapore

A year ago, not many insurance companies were willing to insure EVs. But now that the EV population looks set to explode, more insurers have released, or plan to release, EV insurance products.

So, if you’re an EV owner, compare insurance premiums on MoneySmart before buying. And, it doesn’t hurt to check back every once in a while to see if there’s a competitive new EV insurance plan that’s worth switching to.