Singapore won’t allow new diesel cars and cabs from 2025

Singapore won’t allow diesel-powered cars and taxis to be registered from 2025, five years ahead of previously scheduled, as part of its push to reduce emissions and encourage adoption of electric vehicles.

About 2.9% of passenger cars in Singapore run on diesel, while the proportion is as high as 41.5% for taxis, according to Land Transport Authority figures. Most goods vehicles and buses in the city-state run on diesel and won’t be affected by the new rule, announced Thursday by the government.

Singapore plans to install 60,000 EV charging stations by 2030, two-thirds of which will be in public car parks and the remainder on private premises, the LTA said in a statement. A new government body is being established to spearhead EV-related policy and consultations will be held later in March over private sector participation.

“These measures will support Singapore’s targets to cease new diesel car and taxi registrations from 2025, require all new car and taxi registrations to be of cleaner-energy models from 2030, and have all vehicles run on cleaner energy by 2040,” the LTA said.

New public housing developments will have capacity to support EV charging for 15% of their parking lots, it said. The government has announced a series of other measures to reduce carbon emissions, including greater emphasis on solar energy, planting 1 million more trees, expanding rail and cycling networks, and reducing waste sent to landfill by 20% over the next five years.