SINGAPORE - The land transport sector here is the third-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the country after the power and industrial sectors, but efforts are ongoing to green up vehicles amid the national push to tackle climate change.

Singapore’s comprehensive public transport network, as well as various initiatives to promote cycling and walking in the Republic, have helped to reduce the need for private vehicle ownership.

But vehicles on Singapore roads still produce about 15 per cent of the nation’s emissions. To help bring this figure down, the Republic is ramping up efforts to electrify vehicles in the country.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) estimates that an electric vehicle emits half the amount of planet-warming carbon dioxide, compared with a similar vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine.  

Singapore aims to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040, and is encouraging electric vehicle (EV) adoption by making EV chargers more accessible.

For example, the LTA has set a target of having 60,000 EV charging points by 2030. These include 40,000 charging points in public carparks and 20,000 charging points in private premises. Every Housing Board town will also be an EV-ready town, with approximately 2,000 carparks to be equipped with charging points by 2025. 

In the final episode of Our Better Nature, which airs on Tuesday, find out how local firms, including EV charging solution provider Charge+ and logistics firm DHL Express, are contributing to the national push to electrify vehicles.

The six-part video series on sustainability, hosted by environment correspondent Audrey Tan, can be found on ST’s website and social media channels. Each episode is between six and eight minutes long.