After all the buzz over one man’s year-long ordeal to drive a Tesla Motors car in Singapore, the authorities have finally spoken up about their controversial procedures that made owning one of the cleanest cars in the world such a horrible experience.
Earlier this week, IT professional Joe Nguyen revealed how he managed to become the only owner and driver of a Tesla Model S in the country, which came with unending setbacks and supremely high costs.
An interview with Stuff Singapore went on to show that Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) made it pretty frickin’ hard for the Tesla to even go on the roads. Despite it being a fully electric car — and therefore fuel efficient — he was not given the Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS) rebate of $15,000. Instead, Nguyen was charged $15,000 in taxes when the LTA deemed his electric car a non-fuel-efficient one.
LTA however has spoken up amidst all the criticism lobbied upon them for their seemingly backward course of action. In response to Channel NewsAsia’s enquiries, LTA explained that the Tesla was tested accordingly to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe R101 standards, which measures electric energy consumption as well.
Apparently, the result was that the electric energy consumption of his Tesla car was 444Wh/km, equivalent to a CO2 emission of 222g/km, which is in the C3 band under the revised CEVS. Cars under that category carry a $15,000 surcharge, which was exactly what Nguyen had to fork out.
LTA acknowledged the long delays that Nguyen faced as well, citing that it was the first time a Tesla Model S was tested for emissions.
It doesn’t really matter now of course, after Nguyen already managed to push past everything to drive his Tesla around Singapore. His ordeal with bureaucracy and red tape however will only prove to discourage dealers and individuals to bring in more of the futuristic Tesla cars into the country.
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