TodayOnline-Oct 3
Less than a year after its launch, Singapore’s first large-scale electric car-sharing scheme has more than 17,000 members on its books, operator BlueSG said on Wednesday (Oct 3).
This is about a nine-fold increase from the over 2,000 members garnered at its launch last December.
Demand for its cars has also been healthy, with BlueSG reporting that it has clocked some 70,000 rentals as of the end of last month, with more than 10,000 recorded in September alone.
Right now, the service has 230 cars and 100 charging stations comprising nearly 400 charging points.
BlueSG, which launched with 80 cars and about 30 charging stations, aims to put 1,000 electric vehicles on Singapore roads and install 2,000 charging points at 500 stations — with 80 per cent in residential areas — by 2020. About one-fifth of the charging points will be available for the public to charge other private electric cars.
The operator on Wednesday announced its 100th charging station at the iconic public housing development Pinnacle@Duxton on Cantonment Road. Its charging stations are in various parts of the island, from Ang Mo Kio and Jurong East to Bedok and Tampines.
The operator said it has received more than 6,000 requests for new stations, and is working with the authorities and private landlords to enlarge its network in residential and other areas.
Mr Franck Vitte, BlueSG’s managing director, said that with 100 charging stations and a presence in nearly every town, it has become a “convenient and competitive commuting option” that complements the public transport network. “More importantly, BlueSG is becoming a viable alternative to car ownership and some of our users have already started selling off their private vehicles,” he said.
BlueSG is also tying up with Sembcorp Power — the electricity retail arm of utilities, marine and urban development group Sembcorp Industries — to supply electricity to its charging stations.
The electric car-sharing operator’s mobile application has also been refreshed with a new function that allows users to register for the next available car or parking spot, and find out if they are next in the queue. This will enable its members to better plan their transport needs, the company said.
To mark the opening of its 100th charging station, BlueSG is offering free one-hour rental to all its “premium” members who clock more than 100 minutes of rental between Wednesday and next Friday.
Premium members subscribe to a yearly plan, at S$15 monthly, and pay 33 cents a minute to rent a car.
Weekly members pay a higher fee of 50 cents per minute. All users must rent the cars for at least 15 minutes.
