Talk about Singapore-made cars and you might get a confused “Huh?” from people. Since when did Singapore start making cars rather than purchasing them?
Well quite a while back actually, but now they’re getting more attention, as they – and the motoring world – turn electric.
Meet the EVA. This boxy electric car was designed from scratch by Raymond Khoo, a mechanical engineering masters graduate with a lot of help from the internet (there were no automobile design courses in Singapore). This project made the journey from drawing board to asphalt in just four years, through the collaboration of NTU and Germany’s Technische Universitat Munchen, and launched in 2015.
Meant to serve as a taxi, it’s designed to charge quickly, and to go far with it – not traits you commonly associate with electric vehicles (EV): a full 200km for just 15 minutes on quick charge, or with a 10 hour charge via household cable.
So why haven’t we heard more about it?
Well currently the EVA is gathering dust in a NUS lab because taxi companies, car manufacturers and entrepreneurs have not taken it up. After all, manufacturing and selling a new car model does involve pouring in a huge investment, and depends on uncertain demand to balance that out. And uncertain it is, with just 120 electric/plug-in hybrid vehicles currently in Singapore as of June, compared to about 570,000 registered cars.
Thankfully for the future of EVs in Singapore, the government is moving to lay the groundwork for electric vehicles in the future, with a plan to install 2,000 EV charging points throughout the island.
If you’re looking for rapid speed and killer looks however, take a peek at local car unit Vanda Electrics and their newest speedster: the Dendrobium.
Named after the local orchid for the way its car door and roof fold up, the futuristic lines of this car boast of what’s within – four motors powered by lithium batteries designed to hit 100km/h in under 3 seconds and top speeds of around 250 km/h. And it’s able to travel about 320km on a single charge.
Sadly this slick two-seater won’t be on sale in Singapore as local electric vehicle demand is still weak, but then again its price is astronomical – estimated to be in the millions. It is expected to make its grand debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2017.
So it turns out you can design your own car (with the help of the internet), and Singapore can create a car that would make Batman proud. You learn something new every day.
By Vincent Tan
