LTA’s new role fuels talk of emission-based tax [News]

By Christopher Tan, The Straits Times, 6 Dec 2011.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will take over the fuel efficiency labelling of cars from the National Environment Agency (NEA) next year – a move that industry players say could pave the way for an emission-based vehicle tax system in the longer term.

Such a taxation system uses the amount of tailpipe emissions to determine how much a motorist pays in road tax or even excise duty, and has been adopted by several countries in recent years.

Asked if this was the eventual plan, an LTA spokesman would say only: ‘As announced by the Minister for Finance at Budget 2011, the Government is undertaking a comprehensive review on measures to promote the adoption of green vehicles, as part of our efforts to promote sustainable development.’ Read more

Vehicle growth rate to be slashed to 0.5% [News]

By Hetty Musfirah, Channel NewsAsia, 14 Oct 2011.

Singapore’s annual vehicle population growth rate will be slashed to 0.5 per cent from the current 1.5 per cent by August next year.

But the reduction will be done gradually.

The measure to manage road use effectively was also spelt out in the Transport Ministry’s addendum to the President’s Address.

In recent years, Singapore’s roads grew at an average of 1 per cent. This will slow down to 0.5 per cent over the next decade.

As such, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it’s not sustainable to maintain the vehicle growth rate at 1.5 per cent. So cuts will be introduced gradually.

The current 1.5 per cent rate will be maintained for the period February to July next year, before the 0.5 per cent rate kicks in in August. This will hold till January 2015. Read more

CNG car owners may be allowed to ditch gas for petrol [News]

By Christopher Tan, The Straits Times, 4 Oct 2011.

MOTORISTS now disenchanted with their compressed natural gas (CNG) cars may be allowed to dismantle the CNG kit to revert to petrol-only rides.

If they do this, however, they will have to pay back the tax rebate they enjoyed when they bought the car.

The amount to be paid back could be pegged to the number of years remaining in the 10-year lifespan of the car; an administrative fee may also be levied.

The news came as the Government announced yesterday that the rebate scheme for CNG cars will be extended by another year until the end of next year.

The rebate, at 40 per cent of the car’s additional registration fee, comes to $6,000 to $8,000 for a compact Japanese car. Read more

Vehicle growth rate to be cut [News]

By Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia, 3 Oct 2011.

Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew has said that Singapore’s annual vehicle growth cap would be cut further from next year.

Mr Lui did not say how much lower it will go. The quantum, he said, would be announced in October.

Mr Lui said this in an interview with the local media ahead of the opening of the new Parliament sitting next week.

The annual allowable vehicle growth rate now stands at 1.5 per cent.

One way Singapore manages its vehicle growth population is through the vehicle quota system.

Under it, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) determines the number of new vehicles allowed on the roads. Read more

Launch Of Singapore’s Electric Vehicle Test-Bed [Press Releases]

The inter-agency Electric Vehicle (EV) Taskforce, led by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA), announced the launch of the electric vehicle test-bed in Singapore today. The objective of the EV test-bed is to test and gauge different EV prototypes and charging technologies given Singapore’s urbanised environment and road conditions, before deciding whether to roll it out for mass adoption.

Key features of EV test-bed

2 For a start, the EV test-bed will be launched with:

• Three outdoor and two indoor charging stations;
• First batch of five Mitsubishi i-MiEVs;
• Four smart electric drive (ed) Daimler vehicles;
• First batch of participants comprising LTA, Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Mitsubishi Corporation and Senoko Energy [1].

3 The test-bed will focus on gathering data and insights to guide the planning for future deployment of EVs, including the optimal ratio of charging stations to vehicles. For the convenience of the test-bed participants, charging stations have been designed to automatically collect data on the EV users’ charging patterns. To provide an adequate period for data collection, the test-bed will be extended by one year until end of 2013. (Please see Annex for location of EV charging stations). Read more

Singapore launches electric vehicle test-bed [News]

Singapore is testing out several electric vehicle (EV) prototypes and technologies.

The inter-agency Electric Vehicle Taskforce announced the launch of the electric vehicle test-bed on Saturday.

The taskforce is led by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

The aim of the test-bed is to test and gauge different EV prototypes and charging technologies, given Singapore’s urbanised environment and road conditions, before deciding whether to roll it out for mass use. Read more

The Green Business Times Guide to Singapore Government Funding and Incentives for the Environment

Singapore is well-known as a clean and green city with the government striving for environmental sustainability while growing the economy. The government has also identified Environmental and Water Technologies (EWT) including Clean Energy as strategic areas where Singapore has a competitive edge and which could generate future economic growth.

To accelerate the growth of the environmental industry and to maintain Singapore’s image as a clean and green city, the government has initiated several funding and incentive schemes related to energy efficiency, clean energy, green buildings, water and environmental technologies, green transport, waste minimisation, environmental management system, environmental initiatives, clean development mechanism, and green IT.

The funding and incentive schemes are provided by government agencies such as:

• Building and Construction Authority (BCA)
• Economic Development Board (EDB)
• Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA)
• Land Transport Authority (LTA)
• Energy Market Authority (EMA)
• National Environment Agency (NEA)
• National Parks Board (NParks)
• PUB, the national water agency (PUB)
• SPRING Singapore (SPRING)
• Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)

To help businesses understand what’s available, we have compiled a list of 33 government funding and incentives for the environment:

1. Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme (EASe)
2. Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies (GREET)
3. One-Year Accelerated Depreciation Allowance for Energy Efficient Equipment and Technology (One-Year ADAS)
4. Design for Efficiency Scheme (DfE)
5. SCEM Training Grant
6. Clean Energy Research and Testbedding Programme (CERT)
7. Energy Research Development Fund (ERDF)
8. Solar Capability Scheme (SCS)
9. Market Development Fund
10. Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings (GMIS-EB)
11. Green Mark Incentive Scheme for New Buildings (GMIS-NB)
12. Green Mark Incentive Scheme – Design Prototype (GMIS-DP)
13. Green Mark Gross Floor Area Incentive Scheme (GM-GFA)
14. MND Research Fund for the Built Environment
15. A*STAR-MND Joint Grant Call
16. Pilot Incentive Scheme for Green Roofs
17. Gross Floor Area Incentives for Outdoor Refreshment Area on Rooftops
18. Water Efficiency Fund (WEF)
19. Fast-Track Environmental and Water Technologies Incubator Scheme (Fast-Tech)
20. Technology Pioneer (TechPioneer) Scheme
21. Incentive for Research and Innovation Scheme (IRIS)
22. Environmental Technology Capability Development Programme (EnviroTech CDP)
23. Innovation Voucher Scheme
24. Innovation for Environmental Sustainability (IES) Fund
25. Land Transport Innovation Fund (LTIF)
26. Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR)
27. Transport Technology Innovation and Development Scheme (TIDES+)
28. 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Fund
29. Environment Technology Research Programme (ETRP)
30. Local Enterprise Technical Assistance Scheme (LETAS)
31. 3P Partnership Fund
32. Clean Development Mechanism Documentation Grant
33. Infocomm Leadership and Development Programme (iLEAD)

If we missed out any funding or incentive scheme, do let us know. Thanks! Read more

LED street lights still on trial [News]

The question for the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is whether it is ‘street-smart’ to switch to LEDs for street lighting here.

A spokesman said it is currently conducting a trial to study the ‘different aspects of using LED technology such as energy consumption, durability and maintenance challenges’.

LED lights – sponsored by electronics groups Philips and Samsung – were installed on 17 existing lamp posts in Northumberland Road and Tekka Lane in Little India last year .

‘We expect the trial to take another three years to complete before we can make an accurate assessment,’ the spokesman said.

Although cities elsewhere have plugged into this energy-efficient technology, The Straits Times understands that LTA’s engineers are unsure of the long-term benefits.

For instance, though LED lamps use less electricity, more lamps may be needed to match the quality of lighting achieved by the high-pressured sodium vapour lamps in use today. Read more

Electric Vehicle Tests to Start in Mid-2011 [News]

The first batch of 10 Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric cars is likely to be launched in May for the start of a three-year test-bedding project here.

The i-MiEV is a pure electric vehicle (EV) that is part of a $20 million programme to test-bed EVs in Singapore.

‘The test-bed will run for a period of three years, commencing from the middle of this year,’ said Lew Yii Der, the Land Transport Authority’s group director for corporate planning and research.

The LTA is one of the co-leaders of Singapore’s multi-agency EV Taskforce, along with the Energy Market Authority (EMA).

Mr Lew was speaking yesterday at the UK-Singapore Partners in Science Electric Vehicles Symposium 2011. The event, hosted by the British High Commission and the National University of Singapore, brought together specialists from Singapore, the UK and China to discuss the latest EV research and related work in power systems, materials and infrastructure. Read more