Less than a week after Grab announced its partnership with Chinese healthcare services platform, Ping An Healthcare and Technology Company Limited (Ping An Good Doctor), the ride-hailing company is back with another announcement.
Today, Grab and the SP Group announced a partnership which will see the former bringing in 200 new fast-charging electric vehicles (EVs) while and utilising SP’s fast-charging network.
The SP Group is the corporatised entity of the former electricity and gas departments of the Singapore Public Utilities Board (PUB), and is reported to serve “about 1.5 million” industrial, commercial and residential customers in Singapore.
The new fleet of 200 EVs will be progressively rolled out from early 2019.
Drivers who use the EVs will enjoy “preferential EV charging rates from SP” and drivers can expect to earn “to 25% more in daily income compared to those on a regular petrol vehicle and up to 20% more daily income compared to a hybrid vehicle”.
Said Lim Kell Jay, Head of Grab Singapore, “We are proud and happy to partner with SP, which has a long history of serving Singaporeans. With SP joining our consortium of EV partners, Grab is in a unique position to help drive a cleaner, greener Singapore by encouraging more of our drivers to adopt EVs.”
Grab operates the largest electric and hybrid vehicle fleet in Southeast Asia today, and we are committed to delivering the benefits from EVs to more of our driver-partners.
The Grab partnership is the first for the SP Group since unveiling plans in June to build “Singapore’s largest and fastest public EV charging network”.
Added Mr Goh Chee Kiong, Head of Strategic Development at the SP Group, “The pervasive fast-charging network will provide Grab’s EV drivers with convenience and speed in charging their vehicles, while helping them to achieve energy and cost savings.”
“This will accelerate the wider adoption of EVs in Singapore and support the nation’s efforts to reduce our carbon footprint.”
While specific details on the prices of charging facilities and the EV models have yet to be disclosed, the EVs are said to have a “sporty style” and boast an estimated range of 400 km per charge.
Grab is reported to have the largest network of environmentally friendly vehicles in Southeast Asia, and has plans to further expand its electric mobility fleet.
Not The Only One Going Green
However, Grab isn’t the only ride-hailing/taxi company here that’s going green.
At the start of August, electric taxi company Hold Dreams Together (HDT) Singapore announced that it has officially become Singapore’s 7th taxi operator, and would need to operate “at least 800 electric taxis” within 4 years of receiving the license.
Currently, it has 100 electric taxis on the road, and plans to add 200 new electric taxis to its fleet each year.
With its new license, it would also need to add more electric charging stations around the island for its fleet. There are currently 75 charging points owned by HDT around Singapore.
