IN COPENHAGEN
THE car I was about to test-drive was a car of the future, but it looked like any ordinary family sedan car one sees on the road.
Jessica Cheam test drives Renault's electric car in Copenhagen. ST PHOTO
Getting behind the wheel of French carmaker Renault's latest electric vehicle (EV) prototype — which is 100 per cent electric — I asked my companion if I could start the car and get going.
"Madam," Renault manager Christophe Deville replied politely, "the engine is already turned on."
It was then that I was struck by the absence of the noise associated with an internal combustion engine. It remained unusually quiet even as I drove off.
The EV surprised me with its easy handling and rapid acceleration. The drive was smooth, with none of the jerking or vibration that comes from gear changes — battery-powered EVs do not have gears that shift up or down.
How nice — and peaceful — it would be, I thought, if the cars on Singapore roads were all as quiet as this EV.
That day may not be far off.
The same EV model, developed by the Renault-Nissan Alliance, could end up on Singapore roads next year.
The car-maker is testing a handful of cars under a S$20 million EV test-bedding pilot project by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) to study the conditions needed to help Singapore switch to an electric transport system.
EMA deputy chief executive David Tan told the Singapore International Energy Week last month that the EMA and the Land Transport Authority were calling for tenders from companies to take part in the pilot project.
Singapore could cut its land transport sector's carbon emissions by up to 4 per cent by 2020 if just 2 per cent of the vehicles on its roads were EVs, said Mr Tan.
This will go a long way to help Singapore achieve its target of cutting carbon emissions growth by 16 per cent below business-as-usual levels by 2020 — a pledge the Government made ahead of the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen.
The world's efforts to negotiate a deal to curb greenhouse gas emissions will pave the way for EVs to flood the market, said Renault's EV programme director, Mr Thierry Koskas.
Renault expects EVs to command 10 per cent of the world's car market by 2020. That figure translates into six million EVs on the roads.
Renault, which has invested 1.5 billion euros (S$) in its EV programme, is targeting specific markets such as Europe, China, Japan and Singapore.
Mr Koskas told The Sunday Times that Singapore would make a perfect testbed. Given the compact nature of its roads, drivers travel less than 100km on a typical day.
A single charge allows the EV to cover 160 km on average, with the air-conditioner running.
Mr Koskas said the cost of an EV would be comparable to that of an average sedan in the S$50,000-S$90,000 range, without including batteries.
While the EV promises a cleaner transport system, it is not without its drawbacks. For example, driving up to Malaysia may pose a problem because of the EV’s distance constraints.
But for drivers who wonder when they can buy an EV, Mr Koskas said that commercial versions of the EV would be available from 2011.
I will be one of those waiting.