This is what GRAB is doing in Singapore to reduce carbon footprint.
Again, this is an initiative that should have been pushed in Malaysia by our automotive agencies and ministries instead of pushing of medical, music and cosmetic programs. Well, there is no point looking at them to do anything to promote Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption in Malaysia and so former Malaysian ride hailing company Grab (now with its office in Singapore) has just offered Singapore commuters the option of choosing hybrid or even better, a full electric vehicle, as part of the ride-hailing platform’s drive to become more sustainable.
From that date, they will also have the option of paying an additional SG0.10 to contribute to eco-friendly projects to help reduce their carbon footprint.
JustGrab Green will employ a fleet of vehicles which meet the Vehicular Emissions Scheme (VES) A2 emissions standard, such as the Hyundai Kona Electric or the Toyota Prius.
This will allow carbon emissions to be reduced by an estimated 55 percent compared to conventional petrol vehicles. This new service will be on trial initially and will run like its JustGrab service in Singapore.
Grab in Indonesia has also been working to encourage EV adoption with the ‘Elektrik’ fleet of Hyundai IONIQ vehicles at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport.
PRESS RELEASE: June 22, 2021 – Hyundai Motor Group and Grab Holdings Inc. (Grab) today announced an enhancement of their ongoing strategic partnership in mobility services. The next phase of the partnership will focus on accelerating EV adoption in Southeast Asia.
The Group, including Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation which are the Group’s affiliates, and Grab will further develop new pilots and initiatives that lower the barriers of entry for Grab driver and delivery-partners to adopt EVs, such as lowering the total cost of ownership and reducing range anxiety.
Survey results from initial EV pilot in Singapore found that high costs, lack of charging locations and long waiting times for charging are top barriers hindering Grab driver-partners from adopting EVs. Hence, the enhanced partnership will focus on addressing some of these barriers by piloting new EV business models such as leasing EVs with a battery-as-a-service model or car-as-a-service model, and EV financing.
Both parties will also develop a joint EV roadmap to accelerate adoption in Southeast Asia. The pilot programs will start in 2021, beginning in Singapore, and expand to Indonesia and Vietnam.
As part of the roadmap development, the two parties will also conduct an EV feasibility study. The intent is to gain a deeper understanding into the gaps and barriers to wider EV ownership and adoption, then translating the findings from the study into practical ways to further develop the EV ecosystem.
These insights will provide governments and ecosystem partners with ideas and best practices on how EV policies can be shaped to better address the day-to-day operational routines of ride-hailing drivers and delivery-partners. This comes at a critical time as last-mile logistics and deliveries continue to experience unprecedented growth, and EVs can play a huge role in reducing carbon emissions from vehicles.
In addition, in line with Hyundai Motor Group’s latest future strategy, both parties will explore collaboration in new business opportunities and technologies such as smart city solutions.
Since the initial partnership was announced in 2018, both parties have launched a series of EV pilots in Southeast Asia, starting with Singapore in 2019 and Indonesia in 2020. The pilots saw the deployment of 200 Hyundai Kona EVs in Grab’s GrabRentals fleet in Singapore, which has consistently recorded a high utilisation rate.
Customized maintenance packages and incentives were also rolled out to support Grab driver-partners who are renting the Hyundai EVs. In Indonesia, Grab launched its GrabCar Elektrik fleet of Hyundai IONIQ vehicles at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport.
