“With incentives and a creative marketing push, Singapore aims to make electric vehicles mainstream by 2030.”

In a bid to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), Singapore has launched a dynamic and eye-catching campaign designed to capture the public’s imagination. Featuring everything from romantic billboards to action-thriller style videos and comedian-led myth-busting segments, the campaign urges Singaporeans to “fall in love with EVs.” The government’s effort is part of its broader plan to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2030, aiming for 60,000 EV charging points across the city-state by the same year.

While EVs accounted for about 18% of new car registrations in 2023, the country still faces significant barriers to widespread adoption. Singapore remains one of the most expensive places globally to own a car due to the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system, which limits car ownership to reduce traffic congestion. The COE can cost upwards of US$100,000, which means even with EV rebates, a model like the BYD e6 can still set buyers back S$146,888 before even purchasing the vehicle.

Despite these high costs, the government is committed to providing incentives and rebates to make EVs more affordable as part of a long-term vision for a greener, more sustainable transport system.