Channel NewsAsia - Wednesday, July
9
SINGAPORE: Companies selling cars fuelled by Compressed Natural
Gas, or CNG, are seeing a boom in sales.
Rising petrol prices and the Green Tax Rebate are driving
motorists to switch.
"Just six months ago we (sold) an average of 190 cars a month,
of which only 20 to 30 per cent are CNG cars. Today we (sell) about
250 cars a month, out of which 70 per cent are CNG cars," said
Valerie Tan, managing director of Pinnacle Motors.
Many customers have been lured by cheaper fuel bills and the
Green Tax Rebate, which gives them a 40 per cent discount off the
car’s Open Market Value.
One such person is Melvin Toh, whose budget has been increased
when he bought a new CNG car earlier this year.
The bachelor, who drives approximately 700 kilometres a week,
rarely uses the boot, so the space taken up by the CNG tank is not
a problem.
However, Toh, who lives in Toa Payoh, has to drive to Mandai
Link every two to three days to fill up with CNG.
There are currently two CNG stations accessible to the public on
mainland Singapore — one at Jalan Buroh in Jurong and the other in
Mandai Link in the north. A third is operating on Jurong
Island.
"Of course it is a bit inaccessible, but I still feel that
because I want to reduce my transport costs it’s still worth it,"
said Toh.
The Automobile Association of Singapore advises motorists to
take into consideration the travelling time required to the three
refuelling stations in Singapore, and the ease of refuelling in
order to maximise their cost and fuel savings.
The association said it receives regular enquiries from its
members about the installation of CNG technology. It will be
holding a CNG Conversion Workshop on July 26, but due to strong
demand, a second workshop will be added.
A third CNG refuelling station will be ready in Serangoon North
by February 2009.
Sembcorp Gas, which runs the Jalan Buroh station in Jurong, said
demand there has exceeded expectations. And the company is looking
for other suitable locations.
Despite it being more inconvenient for CNG car owners to fuel
up, significant savings have been found.
To fuel a 1.5 litre car to drive 200 kilometres, it will cost
about S$11.50 using CNG, based on the current pump price at Jalan
Buroh, compared to S$34.20 before discount if a 95 Octane petrol is
used.
With a saving of S$22.70, the real question should be how much
time and effort is one truly prepared to spend to go green?
—CNA/os
