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Strides Taxi provides strong support to drivers to spur early adoption of fully electric taxis, first batch of 300 MG5s launched

Strides Taxi provides strong support to drivers to spur early adoption of fully electric taxis, first batch of 300 MG5s launched

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News, Strides Taxi

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By the end of this year, 300 MG5 electric taxis will ply Singapore roads under the new brand Strides Taxi, which belongs to Strides Mobility, a business unit of SMRT Corporation Limited providing mobility solutions and services. When all 300 MG5s are on the road, Strides Taxi will become the taxi operator with the largest fleet of EVs in Singapore. The first of these electric vehicles (EVs) from Strides Taxi, formerly known as SMRT Taxis, are launched today (30 Aug).

To encourage point-to-point drivers to be early adopters of its electric taxis, Strides Taxi is providing a suite of solutions to support its taxi partners, including working with industry players such as SP Group and Shell to provide convenience and discounts for their charging needs. Early adopters will enjoy free rental on the MG5 and unlimited charging for the first 30 days.

The guest-of-honour, Senior Minister of State for Transport Dr Amy Khor, launched the first batch of electric taxis (MG5 model) at Gardens by the Bay today.

Within the next five years, Strides’ entire taxi fleet will be changed to 100% electric. The electrification of the whole taxi fleet is part of Strides Mobility’s plan to play an active role in accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles and to be a leading player in sustainable mobility services and solutions.

Mr Tan Kian Heong, President, Strides Mobility, said: “We are excited that our electric taxis will hit the roads from today. The vibrant green of Strides Taxi vehicles is a striking reminder to us that it is important to work sustainability principles into Strides’ businesses, which we seek to develop and grow in alignment with the Singapore Green Plan.”

Ms Yeo Wan Ling, Advisor to the National Taxi Association (NTA), said: “A push in the adoption of green vehicles in the Point-to-Point (P2P) industry will be increasingly essential in Singapore’s journey towards a low carbon future. SMRT’s step in this direction signals their commitment to building such a future and as Advisor to the NTA, I’m thankful that Strides Taxi has regularly engaged our NTA leaders in the company on the Electric Vehicle (EV) project. In turn, our leaders have stepped up to participate in the launch of EVs and are working with SMRT’s management to provide feedback from the ground. There is some anxiety among drivers about the real impact on the ground, such as charging points, waiting time, costs of charging etc. As we push for the adoption of green vehicles, we should work together to ensure a win-win for all concerned.”

The MG5, which is new to the Singapore market, has a range of 300km on a full charge, which is sufficient for most taxi partners. When charging is required, Strides Taxi partners currently have access to around 140 public fast chargers at 80 locations across the island. It takes 40 minutes to charge the MG5 to 80% capacity.

Compared to a hybrid car, the cost of charging for Strides Taxi partners is more economical. In one month, a partner driving the MG5 could save around $300 on energy costs.

With EVs, carbon footprint will be reduced by up to 10 tonnes of carbon emission per vehicle per year. When Strides Taxi converts its entire petrol-hybrid fleet to fully electric in five years’ time, the total reduction in carbon footprint is estimated at 20,000 tonnes per year.

In addition to the roll out of electric taxis, Strides Mobility has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with DST Electric Vehicle Rental (Shenzhen) Co., Limited (DST), China’s biggest commercial electric vehicles digital platform, to work towards forming a joint venture company (JV) to provide commercial electric vehicle (EV) solutions inSingapore and South-east Asia; as well as an MOU with EuroSports Technologies on the development, deployment and distribution of smart electric motorcycles in Singapore and the region.

SMRT’s commitment to operate cleaner-energy taxis began in 2013 and its fleet became 100% hybrid in 2020.

Official Media Release

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