Electric-vehicle sharing programme officially rolls out with 80 cars

SPH Brightcove Video
The launch of BlueSG, the first large-scale electric vehicle car-sharing service in Singapore, gives commuters the convenience of having a car without the costs of owning one.
Remote video URL
(From left) Managing director of BlueSG Franck Vitte, managing director of Blue Solutions Marie Bollore and Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan at the launch of the electri-car sharing programme. ST PHOTO: ADRIAN LIM

SINGAPORE - Singapore's first large-scale electric-car sharing programme officially rolled out on Tuesday (Dec 12), with 80 hatchbacks and 32 charging stations offering some 120 charging points available for public use.

It is the first step of a plan to put 1,000 of such zero-emission cars on the roads for public use, along with 2,000 charging points, by 2020. This puts it on track to be the second-largest electric-car sharing programme in the world.

The initiative, which is also supported by the Land Transport Authority and Economic Development Board, was launched by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan during a ceremony held at the Singapore Flyer.

The charging infrastructure and green cars are being supplied by BlueSG, a subsidiary of French conglomerate Bollore Group. The group has a similar electric-vehicle sharing scheme in Paris, with more than 4,000 cars, and is currently the world's largest.

Ms Marie Bollore, managing director of the Bollore Group's Blue Solutions, said the company is committed to making Singapore the second-largest electric-vehicle sharing service worldwide after Paris.

Ms Bollore said that about 2,000 users have signed up to rent the BlueSG cars since registrations opened on Dec 4.

Users can choose from two subscription plans: One charges a monthly subscription of $15, and 33 cents for each minute of use. The other has no monthly fee, but will charge 50 cents a minute.

They can use a BlueSG app to book a car and reserve a parking space. Cars have to be picked up from and returned to a BlueSG charging station.

Remote video URL

By the end of this year, BlueSG targets to have a total of 110 cars and 42 charging stations offering 165 charging points.

The charging stations are spread across housing estates and the city, and are also found in one-north business park and the Singapore Science Park.

BlueSG's managing director Franck Vitte announced on Tuesday that the company is in talks with City Developments (CDL) to place charging stations at properties such as Republic Plaza and Central Mall. This makes CDL the first private-sector landlord to partner the nationwide electric-car sharing programme.

The BlueSG programme was originally targeted to launch in August. However, it was delayed due to authorisation processes required for the construction of the charging stations, including trenching and laying of power cables.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.