SINGAPORE - Those looking to own an electric vehicle (EV) or who want to work on maintaining and repairing them now have an opportunity to have hands-on experience, with the launch of an EV training simulation centre at NTUC LearningHub’s training facility in Pioneer.
The training services provider has partnered Chinese EV manufacturer BYD to launch the centre, which will be used in courses, including the National EV Specialist Safety (Ness) certification programme.
Ness is a national-level certification programme launched by the Land Transport Authority in May 2022 to equip the workforce to handle EVs, as Singapore pushes for their adoption. It is open to trained mechanics and anyone keen to learn about EV technology.
Launched on Jan 31, the six simulators housed in an air-conditioned training room at NTUC LearningHub’s centre in Benoi Road were developed by BYD using components from actual EVs.
These training aids take the place of presentation slides and are designed to replicate common troubleshooting issues relating to the batteries, electric motors and the communication system that links the various electric components of an EV.
One of the simulators explains the working principle of the EV’s motor and how it works with the transmission. Trainees also get to understand the motor’s components, how the parts come together and what happens when a fault occurs.
The nine-day full-time course, with theory lessons and practical training, costs $2,000 before goods and services tax. Each class will have between 10 and 20 participants. Government agency SkillsFuture Singapore will subsidise up to 70 per cent of the course fee for eligible applicants.
Mr Tay Ee Learn, NTUC LearningHub’s chief sector skills officer, told the media at the launch that the course fee is not affected by the enhanced training set-up, and that the simulators were donated by BYD as part of the partnership.
BYD Singapore declined to say how much the equipment cost.
Besides the simulators, BYD also provides an electric car on-site for practical training.
While the training equipment is from BYD, Mr Chan Cher Leong, BYD Singapore’s aftersales director, said the training given is applicable to other EV brands and vehicle types, encompassing passenger cars, vans and buses.
Ness is applicable to all types and brands of EVs, including cars, trucks and buses.
Addressing guests and the media at the launch, Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, as well as Transport, said the simulation centre will allow participants to operate in a safe and controlled environment, enabling them to “hone practical response instincts and strategies that are applicable in real life”.
She added that more than 1,000 participants have undergone training for Ness certification since the programme was launched in 2022.
NTUC LearningHub, which started offering the Ness course in March 2023, has trained more than 250 participants so far. It wants to serve 500 trainees in 2024.
Besides NTUC LearningHub, the Ness course is also available through the Institute of Technical Education College West, ComfortDelGro Engineering and three polytechnics – Singapore, Ngee Ann and Republic.
Mr Gan Chee Hiong, who left his role as head of products of a company that built autonomous robots, took up the Ness course in September 2023.
The 52-year-old was surprised that there was only one auto mechanic in his cohort of 15 trainees. His other coursemates were keen on EV technology but did not work in EV-related roles.
Although his current car, a previous-generation Nissan Serena, is a hybrid and not an EV, Mr Gan said a key lesson he learnt from the course was how to disable the car’s electrical system in an emergency, so that he does not run the risk of electrocution.
The population of EVs in Singapore, which includes cars, taxis, motorcycles, trucks and buses, grew 45.8 per cent to 13,262 in 2023, from 9,093 in 2022.
Right now, land transport accounts for 15 per cent of Singapore’s carbon emissions.
