Adoption of electric light goods vehicles in S'pore picks up speed

Revisions to incentive schemes coming in 2023 supercharge electric LGV registrations

- Lee Nian Tjoe

The adoption of electric light goods vehicles (LGVs) is picking up speed, with new registrations of them in 2022 nearly tripling the overall population of commercial vehicles that are either partially or fully powered by electricity.

The 1,020 new LGV registrations as at October 2022 have boosted the number of electric commercial vehicles from 578 at the end of 2021 to 1,598.

From July to October 2022, 509 electric LGVs were registered - just two short of the 511 vehicles registered in the first six months of the year.

Overall, electric or partially electric commercial vehicles make up less than 1 per cent of the 162,625 such vehicles on the road.

LGVS refer to those with a maximum laden weight of up to 3.5 tonnes. They include the type of vans commonly used by last-mile delivery couriers, as well as smaller lorries and minibuses.

Motor dealers said the need to beat the April 1, 2023 deadline, when revised incentive schemes with lower rebates will kick in, has supercharged the need to register electric LGVs.

The Commercial Vehicle Emissions Scheme (CVES) is exclusive to the LGV class, while the Early Turnover Scheme (ETS) is targeted at old diesel commercial vehicles, regardless of vehicle size. Both are meant to encourage the adoption of vehicles with cleaner emissions.

Owners replacing an existing diesel commercial vehicle with a new cleaner vehicle under ETS do not need to bid for a fresh certificate of entitlement (COE). Instead, they pay a discounted rate and the remaining number of years on the outgoing lorry or bus are added to the COE lifespan of the new vehicle.