SMRT is officially going green. And it appears that its taxi fleet will be the first to go all environmental-friendly.
SMRT Looks to Change All Its 1,796 Taxis to Electric Vehicles Within 5 Yrs
SMRT’s entire taxi fleet is expected to go electric within as little as five years.
In fact, the first batch of 300 electric taxis could touch down in Singapore as early as July, whereby it will be rolled out in progressive fashion.
Vehicle types are expected to include sedans, station wagons and multi-purpose vehicles.
SMRT said: “The electrification of the entire taxi fleet is part of SMRT’s growth strategy in green businesses under its sustainable urban mobility services arm, Strides Mobility.”
For the record, SMRT’s environmental endeavours actually commenced in 2013, when they introduced more than 600 hybrid cabs.
By 2020, their fleet became 100% hybrid.
According to the LTA, SMRT currently has some 1,796 taxis.
SMRT Road Holdings president Tan Kian Heong said: “In line with Singapore’s Green Plan, we are excited to be among the first point-to-point transport operators to commit to the deployment of electric taxis on a large scale.
“This is a key part of our plan to incorporate principles of sustainability into each of our businesses to bring sustainable urban mobility services to our customers. Going green is an integral part of how we operate our business.”
Meanwhile, their mobility services arm Strides Mobility has signed a deal with electric motorcycle-maker EuroSports Technologies to distribute e-motorcycles in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific.
Apparently, the electric motorcycles will be utilised for food delivery and logistics applications.
Emergence
It seems that Singapore is truly entering an “electrical” era.
Apart from a renewed focus on electric vehicles, it has also seen the local incorporation of powerhouse Tesla, which started posting job ads for positions based in Singapore last year.
The company started looking for employees in July 2020, posting ads for roles such as sales advisors, service managers, and store leaders, among other positions.
Bloomberg reported that the electric-vehicle maker was looking for senior developers in Singapore, according to job postings on LinkedIn.
The signs suggested that Tesla was planning to set up shop here, and it was confirmed in January 2021.
According to the Tesla website, it will be coming soon to Singapore.
And apparently, its first charging station will be located at the Singapore Island Country Club (SICC).
Singapore is green and it’ll be greener soon.
Featured Image: Lauren Suryanata / Shutterstock.com
