[Article has been updated on 29 July 2021]
Tesla Singapore has leased a building in Toa Payoh Lorong 8’s industrial area to hold not just its car servicing centre, but also its showroom and corporate office.
The American electric car maker has leased the 58,743 square feet property for up to 20 years, private equity real estate investment manager Firmus Capital announced on Thursday (July 29th).
Firmus said that the renovations are underway, but did not indicate when Tesla would commence operations. The building will also be used to house Tesla’s technical support team.
Tesla’s Model 3 car is expected to be displayed there. The only Tesla model available for sale in Singapore currently is the Model 3 compact. The standard range series costs S$116,364 before certificate of entitlement (COE).
The company has appointed Frenchman Christopher Bousigues as country manager here.
The electric car giant is currently hiring for roles in Singapore. These roles include a supply chain manager, an engineer, and an operations specialist.
Service centres
Tesla’s service centres provide fixing to its cars, including minor dents, scuffs, and scratches. The firm told CNBC early this year that these centres can also provide various forms of in-house collision repairs. This may include suspension and axle damage, wheels, and glass repairs.
Tesla has about 140 service centres at its home ground in North America, and it had said that it plans to open more.
Currently, its US customers can select the services from the Tesla app. It is not confirmed if the procedure will be the same in Singapore.
A check on sgcarmart.com showed two companies that also specialise in Tesla services – Hong Seh Motors and Autostrasse. The services include repair and servicing.
Charging points
Electric car maker Tesla has set up three charging points at Orchard Central and plans to set up more stations in the coming months.
A supercharger is a 480-volt direct current fast charger that can power up a car as quickly as 30 minutes. Normal chargers typically take several hours for a full charge.
Tesla said that its vehicles are compatible with both Type 2 AC and CCS2 DC fast-charging stations which have been deployed by third-party vendors like SP Group and Shell-Greenlots.
Singapore’s 2040 plans
Singapore has set out a goal to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040, and it’s making big bets on electrification to cut greenhouse gases and slow climate change.
Right now, only 3 per cent out of 600,000 private vehicles run on lower-emission hybrid engines and the government has announced a short-term rebate to encourage more drivers to make the switch.
New electric car drivers can qualify for an early adopter rebate on the vehicle’s Additional Registration Fee, capped at $20,000. The rebate will expire at the end of this year.
According to the Land Transport Authority, this rebate is expected to lower the cost of an electric car by 11 per cent on average, bringing the pricing of those cars closer to petrol cars.
Electric vehicles is a key content pillar for Vulcan Post. You can find the rest of our EV coverage here.
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Featured Image Credit: Firmus Capital
