Singapore's first electric car EVA has no buyers and took 4 years to develop

When we think of electric cars, Tesla comes to mind. Singapore has also developed its first electric car, called EVA, which is mainly used as a taxi. It took four years to develop.

Last year, the prototype car was officially released, and the manufacturer subsequently negotiated with various companies to try to commercialize the car. The developer of this car is Raymond Khoo, who is only 30 years old. He believes that EVA is his proudest work. Back in 2012, EVA was just a concept and remained on the blueprint.

Raymond Khoo, a master's student in mechanical engineering, said: "It was quite difficult to develop EVA as there are no automotive courses in Singapore. I had to read a lot of books outside of my major and learn about automotive design on the Internet. It is probably the biggest project we have ever worked on. It is our flagship product."

Many people are interested in electric cars, a growing market led by Tesla and BMW. Singapore is also interested in electric cars, with local electric car manufacturers investing in developing electric cars, but not for the local market.

Although Raymond Khoo and his 120 R&D staff developed an electric car, no one bought it and it could not be mass-produced. In other words, taxi companies, car manufacturers and emerging entrepreneurs were unwilling to buy it.

Some transportation experts believe that Singapore is the "perfect testing ground" for electric vehicles because of its small population and savvy with technology. But until today, EVA can only sit idle in the TUM Create automotive laboratory in the University City of the National University of Singapore. TUM Create is a collaborative research and development platform jointly established by Nanyang Technological University and the Technical University of Munich in Germany, and funded by the National Research Foundation of Singapore.

Sometimes, Raymond Khoo will show EVA to interested guests or researchers to demonstrate the car's functions. Fundamentally, EVA is aimed at the Singapore market and it is manufactured in Singapore.

The most attractive thing about the EVA electric taxi is the fast charging system. After charging for 15 minutes, the car can travel 200 kilometers. EVA has 5 doors and can seat 4 people. The front wheel is equipped with a 60 kW electric motor. The car is equipped with a 50 kWh lithium battery consisting of 216 cells. According to the US FTP 72 standard, the electric car can travel 330 kilometers. Not only that, EVA is made of lightweight materials and uses energy-saving technology.

For the developers, EVA is not a failed project, it is a platform for continued research and development. TUM Create spokesperson said: "EVA is a research and development achievement, a platform for testing and demonstrating technology and new ideas, which is the most important thing. EVA has left a deep impression and attracted the interest of the global automotive industry. To manufacture cars in Singapore and commercialize electric vehicles like EVA is a very complicated matter, which requires huge investment, but sales are not guaranteed."

Singapore's first self-produced sports car is the electric Dendrobium, developed by local company Vanda Electrics, which is set to publicly unveil the Dendrobium at next year's Geneva Motor Show. But the car is aimed at the global market, not Singapore. Vanda Electrics CEO Larissa Tan said Singapore is not ready for electric vehicles yet.

“We are proud of Singapore’s heritage and we will not abandon it,” said Larissa Tan. “But the market situation here is completely different. If you look at the sales of electric vehicles in the United States, China and Europe, Singapore is still far behind.”

Vanda Electrics has about 20 employees and is part of Wong Fong Engineering, a family-owned company that makes truck-mounted cranes and other heavy machinery. Wong Fong Engineering has invested $10 million in the Dendrobium project and is working with British firm Williams Advanced Engineering to start production of the two-door, two-seater vehicle by next month. Vanda Electrics also makes the Motochimp motorcycle and the Ant Truck utility vehicle, all of which are powered by electricity.

According to data provided by the Land Transport Authority of Singapore, as of June, there were only 120 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles operating in Singapore. Compared with Norway, the Netherlands, the United States and China, Singapore's figures are negligible. In Norway, there are an average of 21.5 electric vehicles per 1,000 people, the highest in the world.

The figures are pessimistic, and some people may think that Singaporeans have little interest in electric vehicles, but James Ng of HDT Singapore disagrees. He is the general manager of the company. James Ng said: "Oil will eventually run out, and one day, all cars in Singapore will be electric."

The concept car developed by HDT is similar to the EVA, in that it is aimed at the taxi market rather than private purchase. Converting taxis to electric vehicles makes sense to save costs because taxis have to drive long distances every day.

However, electric cars are still much more expensive than their gasoline counterparts. James Ng believes: "Although electric cars are more expensive at first, if you operate an electric taxi, all the costs are electricity. The longer the taxi operates, the greater the return. I believe electric taxis are feasible in Singapore."

Compared with regular taxis, operating an electric taxi can save $15 per day. Larissa Tan, CEO of Vanda Electrics, also believes that the future belongs to electric vehicles. She said: "Is Singapore ready for electric vehicles? It depends on the infrastructure. The government is working hard to install more electric vehicle charging stations, which is conducive to the popularization of electric vehicles. Despite this, the development of electric vehicles in Singapore is still slow. Singapore is conservative when it comes to accepting electric vehicles."

In May this year, Singapore's Minister of Transport said the government plans to build 2,000 electric vehicle charging stations. TUM Create's spokesperson said: "We believe that we are heading towards an inflection point for electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles, especially for highly used vehicles. The government is actively exploring electric vehicle sharing solutions and building electric vehicle fleets."

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.