Driving electromobility in Singapore and the UK

Charging an electric vehicle

To achieve Net Zero, the governments of the UK and Singapore are targeting ambitious carbon reduction goals, and electromobility has emerged as a key strategy. Now, Newcastle University (UK) and ERI@N (Singapore) are jointly hosting an international event, known as the Electromobility symposium, in Singapore to debate and discuss experiences in implementing land transport electrification in Singapore and the UK, evaluate policy landscapes, and identify successes and obstacles to inform future strategies.

In response to the global threat of Climate Change, countries are grappling with the need to transition their economies to a net-zero economy due to the consequences of industrialization through the burning of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases. While progress has been made in reducing emissions in many energy systems and industrial sectors, the road transport sector is still seen as a significant challenge for decarbonization, with many viewing it as the last opportunity for change.

The UK and Singapore have different characteristics and are at different stages in their journey towards decarbonizing road transport. There is an opportunity to share knowledge and best practices as we move towards the next phase of electromobility. Electromobility encompasses the electrification of land transport, including electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. The knowledge and best practices in the field of electromobility will be used to tackle the challenges of electrifying road transport, from the type of electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, demand management, the wider energy system, traffic management systems, to business and user behavior and society. By working together, we can create a sustainable solution for decarbonizing road transport.

The UK has 12 years of experience in this area, but the transition from niche to dominant form of propulsion requires new and innovative approaches. Both the UK and Singapore can learn from each other and develop research to support this. Singapore's focus on electrification is more recent, but the challenges are similar. 

The Electromobility symposium, supported by the UK government's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), offers a chance to explore the necessary requirements for successful cooperation in research and innovation to facilitate a beneficial transition for both the UK and Singapore. The symposium will be attended by leading researchers and representatives from government agencies and industry. 

The symposium will be held in Singapore, over 3 days from 17-19 April 2023. Site visits are planned for the fourth day (20 April). 

The symposium programme leads are: 

  • Phil Blythe, Professor of Intelligent Transport Systems, Newcastle University; former Chief Scientific Advisory, Department for Transport 
  • Colin Herron, Professor of Practice, Newcastle University; Managing Director, Zero Carbon Futures
  • Niels de Boar, COO and Senior Programme Director, Energy Research Institute at NTU. 
  • Simon Lambert, Senior Lecturer in the Electrical Power Group, Newcastle University.

The members of the organising team are Duncan Rayner, Luke Judd, Tim Rockell, Jo Geary, Anurag Sharma, Kheng Lim Goh, Stuart Edwards.

For further details about this symposium, please visit the link at https://app.glueup.com/event/accelerating-electromobility-in-the-uk-and-... or contact Assistant Professor Anurag Sharma at [email protected] or Associate Professor Kheng Lim Goh at [email protected].