EDB Singapore wants to invite more electric car manufacturers to set up shop here

EDB Singapore wants to invite more electric car manufacturers to set up shop here

EDB Singapore wants to invite more electric car manufacturers to set up shop here. The statutory board wants to sell our island state’s established economic relations with important trade partners, our skilled workforce, and our comprehensive legal framework for intellectual property to those manufacturers.

“Hopefully they won’t be the only one we land,” Chng Kai Fong, managing director of the Singapore Economic Development Board, said in an interview, referring to Dyson’s plans. “We’re in active negotiations or discussions with a couple of others. The whole idea is to build clusters.”

EDB’s intention is to build up a strong electric car manufacturing sector that will expand proportionally and also provide the impetus for the development of autonomous vehicles in Singapore. Dyson Ltd. was the first to commit to the sector by announcing its plans to build its first advanced automotive manufacturing facility here. The bespoke two-story factory will begin construction in December and is due to be completed in 2020.

Singapore is also committed to building up the infrastructure to support the adoption of electric cars; for a start, energy provider SP Group plans to roll out 1,000 electric vehicle charging points by 2020. Those charging points will be located at convenient locations like hawker centers, where drivers can take meal breaks while their electric cars can be recharged.

Besides exploring the adoption of green energy vehicles, Singapore is also looking into autonomous vehicles like flying taxis and autonomous buses to make our nation a car-lite one.

Source: Bloomberg Technology