Bollore to deliver Singapore’s first EV sharing programme
Singapore is preparing to launch its first electric vehicle sharing scheme next year, consisting initially of 125 EVs and 250 charging points installed in key towns. The programme will be developed over a decade by BlueSG, a subsidiary of Bollore Group, which operates the world's largest fully-electric car sharing programme, with operations in France and the US. The Singaporean system will be subscription based, with members booking vehicles through an app, and aims to put 10,000 EVs on the road and up 2,000 charging points across the island by 2020.

Singapore to launch electric vehicle car-sharing programme

A general view of Asia Square Tower 1 in Singapore's financial district on June 6, 2016. The country will launch its first all-electric vehicle car-sharing programme next year. (Reuters photo)

Singapore will be launching its first all-electric vehicle car-sharing programme by the middle of next year, with the first batch of 125 electric vehicles (EV) and 250 charging points to be rolled out in towns like Ang Mo Kio, Jurong East and Punggol.

The car-sharing service, offered for public use on a paid subscription basis, will operate via a point-to-point system. Users will be able to book the car through an online app and can return the car at any station near their preferred destination. Other users can then pick up the car from this destination.

The 10-year programme will be developed and operated by BlueSG, a subsidiary of Bollore Group, which operates the largest fully-electric car sharing programme in the world, with operations in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon and Indianapolis.

Bollore’s proposal was chosen from among 13 proposals, after more than a year of “careful evaluation” by government agencies like the Land Transport Authority and Economic Development Board, said Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan at the EV Car-Sharing Programme signing ceremony on Thursday, according to TODAY.

The goal is to get 10,000 electric cars on the road and to set up 2,000 charging points across the island by 2020 -- up to 20% of the 2,000 charging points will be made available for the public, while the remainder will be for Bollore's commercial use. Some 500 BlueSG stations and 2,000 parking lots will also be set aside in Housing and Development Board estates, central business district areas and key industrial areas.

By August, the European Type 2 AC charging standard will also be adopted as the national standard for all new electric vehicle public charging infrastructure. Each electric vehicle can be charged in one to two hours.

Expressing hopes for a greener, more efficient and sustainable transport system, Khaw said: “While car-sharing has been widely adopted in Europe and is growing rapidly in the United States, it is currently a small market in Singapore ... We hope to see car-sharing usage rise through collaborations such as (this one).”

BlueSG will also set up a global innovation centre here for its partners to develop test and implement technological innovations in areas like mobility and data analysis. It is expected to create about 250 jobs in Singapore in the first five years of the programmes.