Torque Shop: The future is not only electric
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The Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid is among several cars here with electric assistance.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Christopher Tan
I have a five-year-old Toyota Corolla Altis, which has been very dependable and relatively inexpensive to maintain. I intend to keep it for the entire length of its certificate of entitlement (COE) lifespan. But what next? I read that by 2030, Singapore will no longer allow internal combustion-engine cars. That is less than six years away. Will I have to shop for an electric car then?
By 2030, no new car which is powered purely by a combustion engine will be allowed to be registered.
Even so, you need not fret when 2030 comes around. Most new cars already have some form of electric assistance now. They may be plug-in hybrids, conventional hybrids or mild hybrids. At this point, it looks like the regulators will accept all of them.
The motor industry has taken the cue. Hence, pure combustion-engine cars are increasingly rare.
While a hybrid version of the Corolla Altis is no longer brought in by the authorised Toyota agent, there are several alternatives. These include the Hyundai Avante Hybrid, Skoda Octavia (mild hybrid) and Toyota Prius.
And who knows? By 2030, electric cars may match combustion-engine cars on all fronts, including lifetime cost and convenience.
