Transport operator SMRT announced today (April 20) that it aims to fully electrify its entire taxi fleet within the next five years.
According to the company, the fleet could include models such as sedans, station wagons and multi-purpose vehicles to “meet the diverse needs of the market as it evolves.”
It added that the first batch of 300 electric vehicles (EVs) will arrive in Singapore from July this year.
SMRT Road Holdings president Tan Kian Heong said that SMRT is “among the first point-to-point transport operators to commit to the deployment of electric taxis on a large scale.”
He added that going green is an integral part of their business operations. In fact, part of the company’s growth strategy in green businesses includes introducing EV services that uses taxis, cars, vans, limousines, motorcycles and buses.
SMRT’s sustainable urban mobility services arm Strides Mobility inked yesterday a Memorandum of Understanding with EuroSports Technologies to develop, market and supply smart electric motorcycles in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region.
This shift towards EVs in line with the government’s push for electric vehicle adoption in Singapore.
In this year’s Budget speech, Minister Heng Swee Keat announced that the government will set aside S$30 million over the next five years for EV-related initiatives, such as measures to improve charging provision at private premises.
This is meant to catalyse the partnership between the public and private sectors, and comes as Singapore is accelerating the development of its charging infrastructure.
In addition, the government aims to deploy 60,000 charging points by 2030 — more than double its initial target of 28,000. It will also narrow the cost differential between electric cars and internal combustion engine (ICE) cars to further encourage the early adoption of EVs.
Electric taxis are nothing new in Singapore though. In 2017, HDT Singapore Taxi rolled out Singapore’s first fleet of electric taxis, though the company has since ceased operations last December due to the pandemic.
In May 2018, another local taxi company ComfortDelGro added 200 new Hyundai Ioniq Hybrids to its fleet.
Shortly after, ride-hailing giant Grab also decided to electrify its fleet as it announced the addition of 200 electric vehicles in partnership with SP Group in January 2019.
Featured Image Credit: SMRT