Singapore’s premier EV show brought a range of electric cars to a wider audience, while its panel discussions brought forward the EV debate

SINGAPORE 

The island’s first and largest electric vehicle (EV) showcase, EV Weekend, saw its second, successful iteration last week, running from November 8 to 13, at Suntec City’s North Atrium.

As reported in our story from the show floor, the main draw for members of the public was the ability to get up close and personal with the wide-ranging lineup of eight EVs (BYD Atto 3, DFSK EC35, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Opel Mokka-e, Peugeot e-2008, Polestar 2, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y) from seven manufacturers, including test driving some of them on-site.

That accounted for the healthy traffic EV Weekend saw, especially on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with crowds thronging to see the cars on display. But EV Weekend has always been about educating the public and spreading increased awareness about electrified motoring.

Volts Populi  

This year, it achieved that in two ways: Firstly, with education exhibits and displays at the show. This included a charging network map and charger from local charge point operator (CPO) Charge+, a tech demonstrator from smart EV charger retailer Interwell, and a display from Singaporean tyre company Giti Tyres which manufactures high-performance and EV-specific rubber.

Sazali bin Mohd Ali, who attended the show with his wife, told CarBuyer: “We were considering the Peugeot 3008, but realised there are now electric versions on sale too, close to the price of a normal car. It’s nice to see all the different EVs in one place.” 

Lee Kit Mun, who was at the show with his son, told CarBuyer: “I haven’t been to a physical car show for some time, but it was good to see an entire range of EVs here. I didn’t know there are now so many options for electric cars!”

EV Weekend : An ‘electrification milestone for Singapore‘

Secondly, EV Weekend 2022 held its special plenary session – sponsored by Singlife with Aviva – on Thursday, November 10, 2022, which saw industry representatives from CPOs, insurance providers, EV owners, brand distributors, and more, discussing topics across two separate panels. 

The Guest-of-Honour for the plenary sessions was Mr Saktiandi Supaat, Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, Toa Payoh East, and head of the Parliamentary Committee for Transport. 

Mr Saktiandi reiterated the rapid pace of adoption Singapore is currently seeing, including the fact that Electric vehicle (EV) owners are now able to tap more than 3,000 public charging points across the island, and that we’ve already embarked on the second wave of EV charging for Singapore with a newly announced EV charger tender for all sections of the island. 

“While only a year has passed since the previous show, the landscape has changed dramatically for the better, for EVs in Singapore – and EV Weekend is a clear reflection of that,” he said.

“Vehicular transport has run on fossil fuel for decades, and it’s clear that we need to make the change for the benefit of all Singaporeans. There still is much to be done, and many challenges to be faced, but I believe with EVs as part of the solution, we can make the transition to something better than it already is, more responsible, and maybe even more fun in the process.

The changes won’t happen overnight, but they are happening, and perhaps at a rate and scale that will continue to surprise many of us, pleasantly. EV Weekend is simply one of the milestones on this sustainability journey that Singapore has begun.”

High-efficiency Panels

The first panel discussion covered the long-term of electrification, with input from industry experts. Highlights from this panel include discussions on just how fast DC fast chargers really need to be, if the risk of EVs catching fire is overstated, if/how hydrogen can come into the picture, and how car-lite and electrification can be balanced.

The second panel focused more on the experiences that EV owners could face, and the short-term issues and complexities facing current and would-be EV owners. Highlights from that panel include the highs and lows of EV ownership, whether special driving training is needed for EVs, the complexities of insurance and warranties, and whether we’re all doomed to have an entire cornucopia of charging apps on our phones. 

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