Singapore - The electric vehicle population in Singapore has been growing steadily as of late. Tesla, which is currently the leading EV marque in Singapore, has sold almost a thousand units of the Model 3 sedan. If that isn’t a testament to the rapid adoption of EVs in Singapore, we don’t know what is.

Just last year, TopGear Singapore was involved with EV Weekend, Singapore’s first and largest electric vehicle event which saw 10 electric vehicles from the likes of Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Kia, Mini and MG. It’s hard to look past the glitz and glamour of the various shiny new EVs on display at EV Weekend. But where does that leave the average consumer who’s looking into purchasing an EV? What's the public opinion on mass EV adoption?

A study conducted by the Electric Vehicle Association of Singapore (EVAS) has shown that 8 in 10 Singaporean licence holders are open to trying EVs, while 6 in 10 Singaporeans are open to buying PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) in the near future. Despite the maturing state of the EV charging network in Singapore, a large majority of respondents have shown significant interest in owning an electric vehicle.

The increased interest and eagerness of EV ownership can be attributed to the government’s initiatives for electric vehicle adoption. Namely, the revised enhanced VES schemes, EV Early Adoption incentives, revised road tax for EVs and the 60,000 EV chargers that will be built by the end of the decade.

We’re told that 86% of respondents are supportive of these initiatives, with 7 out of 10 respondents willing to recommend BEVs to their family and friends. According to EVAS, the Tesla Model 3, the BMW iX3 and the Audi e-tron were among the most popular EVs that respondents were interested in.

Among the different motivators for BEV adoption, 73% of respondents highlighted the cost savings from driving an electric vehicle as the top factor in encouraging EV ownership, followed closely by government incentives, home and/or public EV charging infrastructure and maintenance costs. Surprisingly, only 47% of respondents highlighted the performance of electric vehicles as an encouraging factor in EV ownership.

Mass EV adoption may still be in its infancy, but in time to come, it seems that a growing majority of Singaporeans are already keen on Singapore’s transition toward low-carbon transportation. When asked about how supportive they were of Singapore’s transition toward greater EV adoption, 86% of respondents have stated that they were quite supportive or very supportive. 

PHOTOS Jay Tee