Green Pulse Ep 50: Are electric vehicles really green?

23:08 mins

Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change.

Singapore wants to decarbonise its transport sector, as part of its goal of reaching net-zero emissions as soon as viable in the second half of the century. The Republic plans to phase out all internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040, and has announced initiatives to improve uptake of electric vehicles, including tax incentives and the roll-out of more charging points.

But if electric vehicles still draw electricity from the national grid, which in Singapore is still fossil-based, are they really more environmentally friendly?

Green Pulse hosts Audrey Tan and David Fogarty chat with Mr Goh Chee Kiong, chief executive of Charge+ , the green mobility arm of Singapore clean energy company Sunseap Group, as they discuss the following points:

1. If electric vehicles draw power from the grid, which is still fossil-based, are they really more environmentally friendly than those that run on petrol? (1:03)
2. Other than fuel source, what other factors make an EV greener than an internal combustion engine vehicle? (7:05)
3. The mining of raw materials for electric vehicles is not known for its environmental credentials. How can pressure on the environment be reduced in the manufacture of electric vehicles? (10:19)
4. Other than benefits to the environment, what are the advantages of electric vehicles to human health? (14:00)
5. Pain points of widespread electric vehicle adoption in Singapore (17:25)

Listen to Ep 45: Can an electric vehicle push and petrol duty hike green Singapore's land transport sector? https://omny.fm/shows/green-pulse-1/can-an-electric-vehicle-push-and-petrol-duty-hike

Produced by: Audrey Tan (audreyt@sph.com.sg), David Fogarty (dfogarty@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Penelope Lee

Edited by: Penelope Lee

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