By Bhavani Prakash, founder of Eco Walk The Talk
Zeco Systems Pte Ltd, a Singapore born and bred clean technology company, is paving the way for a quiet revolution in the way we move around. The firm launched a global rollout of its EV charging solutions last week on Feb 11, 2010 called ‘Greenlots’.
Greenlots Point is a charging station (below) which enables EV users to simply plug in and charge their vehicles via a simple authentication process. It can be located at carparks of homes, office buildings, residential buildings and shopping malls. Greenlots managing director Oliver Risse said, “The beauty of electric vehicles is that the infrastructure is already in place.” By plugging into the existing grid, it helps to keep costs low and allows for scalable growth.
Ten charging stations have so far been set up in Singapore such as the INSEAD campus at Buona Vista, Parkway Parade and the Swiss Club. Zeco Systems also introduced the first electric vehicles in Singapore through the E-Max scooters in early 2009. Come September 2010, Singapore will see the introduction of electric cars such as the i-MiEV model by Mitsubishi.
What makes Singapore ideal for EVs?
Singapore is perfect for EVs as it is a city of short distances, with limited urban sprawl. On an average, people here drive about 40 kilometres a day mostly for commuting between home and work; something that takes no more than 2 hours a day. About 90 per cent of vehicle users park their vehicles for around 22 hours a day at home, office, shopping and leisure. So it’s easy to use that stationary time for charging.
David Tan, Deputy Chief Executive of the Energy Market Authority mentioned at the Singapore International Energy Week in 2009, that this island can reduce up to 4% of the land transport sector’s carbon emissions by 2020 with only a 2% EV penetration rate, and this is despite the dependence on natural gas.
I took the opportunity to test ride the E-Max 90S electric scooter recently (headline photo). The E-Max brand of scooters that Zeco Systems introduced in the Singapore market in 2009 come in two models – the E-Max 90S with a driving range of 45-60 kms, and the E-Max 110S with a driving range of 70-90 kms which is enough for a majority of trips. Full charging takes about 3 hours, and each charge canlast upto 60kms. Operational costs amount to about Sing $60 per year based on electricity prices in Singapore. That means fuel savings of about Sing $1,300 a year. The scooters are priced between Sing $6,999 and Sing $7,399 depending on the COE (Certificate of Entitlement licence required for vehicle ownership in Singapore) and run on lead-acid batteries which need to be changed every 3 years or so at a cost of about $600- $800.
As you may have seen on the video, I was impressed with the vehicle. It’s sturdy and the drive is exceptionally smooth. I don’t own a vehicle in Singapore, because I believe that as a city it’s very well geared for public transport. However, an electric scooter would be greatly handy for doing short distance commutes, which are too far to walk or cycle, or out of the way places, which can’t really be connected well.
Safety on Singapore roads is an issue for two-wheelers. I would really like to see roads becoming user friendly for bicycle and scooter riders. A class 2 driver’s licence is required for the scooter, and at the moment, it can’t be taken on the highways. As a city, it must continue to upgrade its public transport system, by increasing the coverage and frequency. Public buses and commercial vehicles can also benefit by moving away from fossil fuels to the electric mode.
Coming soon to an HDB void deck near you?
For EVs to really take-off, a major push towards infrastructure building needs to take place, for which the right top- down policies have to be created to encourage homes, private estates and shopping malls to install charging stations. The more the demand for EVs, the more the demand for charging stations is likely to be. Consumers on the other hand are more likely to embrace EVs only if it is convenient for them to recharge. They also have to gain confidence that road conditions are safe for them to use Evs, especially scooters. So it boils down to a chicken and egg situation – does the infrastructure come first or the demand for EVs?
There is momentum building up in the EV industry, both as far as the infrastructure building and the commercial acceptance of EVs are concerned. In Singapore, the seeds are being laid by the likes of Zeco Systems to revolutionise the land transport sector with EVs, but whether they germinate and take off here, and elsewhere in the world, only time will tell.
__________________________
Read the original entry at Eco Walk the Talk
__________________________________________________________
Parking and charging point is also available at Ikea.
http://www.ikea.com.sg/greenlots/default.asp
and to be charged @ aroun $7000 for a electric machine when in china you pay less than $1000?
designed in sg? Made in China or not?
why he said ‘we brought in’ the scooters, does it mean they did not built the machine?
Foreign technology yet again? but i would not be surprised if it is.
Oh, German technology. i was right, not surpringly.
Just 1 word of wisdom for you:
ELECTRICity, generally, comes from Power plants that uses Oil to produce electricity.
Unless electricity is produced by non oil or Carbon emitting means, its not Green in my view.
Imagine if more or most cars/bikes become electric, the demand on Electric will go up and make a guess what that means and hey, will electric companies be privatised soon?
injoy, more good years.
Singapore uses mainly natural gas for electricity production. It is generally less polluting. When the LNG terminals are ready, the sources will further be diversified. That said, I still think the EMA is behind the curve on this issue.
Does it make sense to use electric vehicles even though the electricity comes from a fossil source (e.g. oil, natural gas, LNG, etc.)? I think so. From an certain environmental angle, to reduce and to localize the pollution (near the power generation plants) is a still step closer to the objective. At least the roads and elsewhere will become less polluted.
One criticism though. If the case is really about promoting electric vehicles, why is there a need for special charging stations?? Make the plug compatible with the household socket (cf. golf carts) and the market will turn care of the rest.
Steve Wu,
would this not mean the demand on Natural Gas would sky rocket and become like petrol price hikes?
LPPL of the lollipop?
Electric cars were invented decades ago if not longer.
Somehow the world preferred oil (either political or technological reasons)
Now, after Iraq war, people re-focussing back on electric cars using oil price and go-green , save the world/earth as their sales pitch.
It may seem that electric cars is new technology and green, it is actually not as green.
spending money on the infrastructure would not be wise as this will not be the long term solution.
Money should be spent on R&D to come up with Alternative energy to generate Electricity.
If LNG or natural gas is used, it will be like the recycle french fries oil, save-the-world go-green thingie. The DEMAND of the raw materials involved would sky rocket , causing another cost issue. Moreover, its not zero carbon footprint using Natural Gas as Carbon Dioxide, cause for greenhouse effect and global warming, is produced by it combustion and this is the main thing it produces.
The answer is still out there.
Even if water can power vehicles, there is nothing to rejoice over it in Singapore. The powers that be will buy up the rights (under table in front of you) to supply water, and charge you as high as they like, maybe even higher than petrol or electrics.
Scientists (lecturers) in the UK at one of their Universities have indeed been able to power cars using liquid hydrogen. They still have some way to go before a commercial breakthrough. The Brits are also researching other areas like tidal waves, composting, etc. Looks like the Scientists there are enjoying such challenge in a tv prog I watched some time ago.
Why do I get the feeling that Spore does things like this to show “we also can” or “we are the best”, not really in pursuit of Scientific challenge or saving the Earth?
The electric scooter is definitely a more Green solution as it reduces the amount of CO2 produce per unit traveled. As the energy conversion when burning fossil fuel in a power plant is significantly higher (heat recovery, bulk produce) and cleaner (Soot cleaning, desulphurization technology) than the energy conversion when using.
However this scooter is NOT GREEN as it uses Lead ion batteries instead of the more expensive Lithium ion batteries. Lead is a heavy metal that cannot biodegrade and besides polluting the environmental when accidentally released, Lead is also a carcinogenic substance that will bioaccumulate in the body affecting the nervous system.
Please get your facts right first and read up on the Basel Convention first before posting such article and claiming that all electric vehicles are as green as they are. Some just aren’t.
Give me a break,
“water” can be used to power vehicle, but technically that should be hydrogen atoms instead. This technology is called fuel cell. Electrolysis is conducted on water to separate out the oxygen and hydrogen atoms apart and the hydrogen atoms are then collected in a container to be used as fuel for the car.
But don’t worry too much about water cost going up! The end product of the fuel cell reaction is just water. Fuel cell is basically a rechargeable batteries, cleaner and better.
whether green or not doesn’t really matter..it the economics we are talkin
in china ALL electric scooter do not NEED a liscence nor a erp/cbd/coe…
if petrol diven..helmets/drivin liscene/number plates is the requirement byLAW…
why is electric bikes/scooters popular in china fully encouraged by the chinese rulin government?
a) it eased the public transports
b) workers will be on time for worked thus increased productivities
c) their electric charger are the odinary 13amp home plugs
d) pollution free as well
in singapore as usual all the biggest BULLS H I T the rulin pap governors can think off
you want it..you PAY for the rights/ride accordin to the usual pap’s coffer LAWs…
There is nothing new about electric scooters. There are millions of them in China, a very popular and affordable mode of transport for the general population. It cost less than S$1000. I really do not understand why Zeco has to sell between S$6999-S$7399. Is Zeco’s electric scooter technology so much more superior to justfy it prices. I doubt.
I will not pay this price. It doesn’t make sense.
Yes, electric scooter , while not producing any exhaust gas, may fool the naive and unintellectual if not unworldly or unscientific minded that it is GREEN because it produces ZERO emissions.
The bike produces zero emissions but the usage of the bike requires burning a lot of carbon related fuel which adds to Global Warming.
If everyone in singapore buys one to replace a gasoline car , there will still be the COE to pay and pay. Further, per bike or car EATS electricity by the kilowatts! that is huge! This will mean a lot more fuel needs to be burnt at the power plants to meet demand.
Practicality: Not practical , imho. I mean this bike thingie. The battery itself costs a lot of money. Usually lithium ion batteries. One of the most explosive types of batteries if not well managed or used.
As some have said, these batteries are not Green.
While there is no need to pay for the regular car maintenance and gas, it requires owners to pay for other costs not found when driving gasoline cars.
Its also a target for bike theives. Would you dare park it outside ? If you live in HDB and not bungalow, you think it will not attract thieves?
The maintenance of such bikes or cars can also require more specialised technicians which could mean more expensive due to supply is less.
And , where is the service center? Overseas? hahahaha. Parts come from where ? overseas? hahahaha.
not feasible for now, imho.
correction : The bike produces zero emissions but the usage of the bike requires plenty of Electricity which is produced by consumption of a lot of carbon related fuel which adds to Global Warming.
what abt building up infrastructure for cycling instead? confirm GReen n saving on $$$
Thanks to some readers for bringing out the environmental impacts of batteries in electric vehicles. It is a big concern of mine too. This was meant to be the second part of the blog. I’ve highlighted the various environmental downsides of electric vehicles(EVs) in the latter part of the first blog http://www.ecowalkthetalk.com/blog/2010/02/22/can-electric-vehicles-change-the-world-part-13-a-third-comeback/
I’ve linked to several studies showing the life cycle impact of EVs, various kinds of batteries, toxicity of batteries (Lithium-Ion batteries are better than Lead Acid ones) and even the water usage implications if we suddenly raise demand on the grid using coal fired power plants.
EVs make sense in a context. Grids need to move towards renewable energy. Battery technologies should continue to improve to reduce environmental impact. Recycling of batteries should further minimise the impact. Cities should be redesigned to make them safe and convenient for pedestrians, cycles and scooters. No city can completely do away with buses, cars and taxis…instead of fossil fuel ones that pollute the air, moving towards EVs running on a clean green grid can improve air quality and reduce dependence on peak oil.
@By the power of the Hum,
We may think of all human activities as merely energy transformation of some sorts. That we are mainly utilizing carbon-based (fossil) fuels is largely a historical accident. Humans had not depended on them until about 200 years ago and we may not ever depend on them again 200 years from now (assuming humans may last that long as a species).
But in the meantime, they remain the main fuels. I mostly disagree with the use of bio-fuel since they have proven to leave a negative impact on food security. How a resource is priced depends on the owner of the resource. The fortunate thing is that the alternative forms of energy have sources, e.g. sun, wind, waves, etc. which are FREE.
Electricity is a relatively clean form of energy to utilize. With electric cars, we are able to separate the utilization from the production by injecting the possibility of storage (batteries). This will be a step forward. There may be environmental concerns, as some have suggested. These concerns should be addressed by proper handling and disposal of the batteries.
There are many obstacles for a greener future, but we should recognize most of them are bureaucratic. They have very little to do with technology which is sufficiently mature. For example, despite the official position in Singapore, there is no need to do more R&D for the next 10/20 years to determine the “special” solution for Singapore.
It is indeed possible to better utilize solar energy right now to produce electricity in excess of the household requirement. It is viable and efficient to sell the excess capacity to the grid for the others to consume. One should not opt for a storage subsystem (due to high costs). That such a possibility is NOT exploited may only be explained by the vested commercial interest of GLCs, like SP Power and others.
Of course there is Free Energy. The bottleneck is human brain and its rate of evolution.
Steve Wu
The problem is, we don’t seem to have a Govt anymore. The lines between the service or product suppliers (businesses) and Governing authorities have blurred so much. Where you expect Govt to step in, for the better of citizens, they themselves are the perpetrators. So there is almost zero hope as long as the Govt is also the service provider.
the bike trader is not a grassroots leader is he?
I find the pricing to be ridiculously high. As someone has pointed out, there are millions of such electric scooters in China. I have personally owned one and rode on it on China roads for more than a year. The price quoted for the lead acid battery alone in the above article can buy you the whole scooter together with the battery in China. I also believe this is not a Singapore born and bred company as I recall reading much earlier that the company was founded by a German businessman who imports these vehicles from China. And yes, it is true that this form of transport is not really green as it merely transfers the carbon footprint to the source of generation, in this case, the power stations. But is does make our roads cleaner because pollution is not generated on it.
Electric scooters are a joy to ride too. In China, no licence is needed and I paid 1,380 Rmb, approximately slightly less than 300 Singapore Dollars and it comes with one battery. There is another slot for another battery which can double the range but not the speed and I can switch to battery A or B by the turn of the ignition key. It is also quite powerful as I have ever fetched an American colleague who weighs more than 100 Kg and the scooter still can move! It makes travelling much more fun and convenient. In China, so many people rode on such scooters that it is a common sight to see them zooming on roads, paveways etc.
Average bike price for a 48V 20Ah 350W electric scooter is <3000RMB. Come on, if you just do the currency conversion, that is ~$600 SGD. Look at the price stated up there, the battery price can buy a whole new scooter here in China. what a ripoff!
Anything for people like me who have to ferry their kid around? Plus it will be nice to see you dorn a helmet on that demo ride, which is cute and yellow too!
I say a gasoline bike with the same horsepower produce lesser emission.. Do the maths..
in this world, there are many electric bikes and really faster ebikes or motorbike. BUT OUR GOV…seem not to be encourage importer to get one e-motorbike. Becasue… gov will lose alot of money. it will affect their bonus. ZERO ebike is the fastest ! easily do 80km/h !!
Face the fact singaporean.Nothing is free.we are in the system called pay and pay.there are reasons why they have to sell e scooter at high price in singapore. The same goes to cars.