Singapore to have driverless pods by end-2016

Back in April, Mashable carried an article about driverless vehicles that is expected to ply Singapore's roads as early as year-end. Chances are if you spend your Christmas holiday in Singapore later, you could be hopping on these battery powered pods.


This cool driverless pod will run on Singapore's roads by end of the year. Image by SMRT Corporation


In 2010, Dutch company, 2getthere, specialising in developing sustainable Automated Transit Networks for personal and group transportation, together with SMRT produced 10 similar vehicles for Abu Dhabi's cleantech business park, Masdar City.

It is understood that 2getthere also built similar system for Rotterdam's Rivium Business Park, supplying 6 electric vehicles for the park with the capacity of 20 passengers per car.

For the Singapore case, these pods - 24 of them that can handle up to 8,000 passengers per hour - are said to be suitable for gated communities, schools, universities and other smaller roads.



The concept vehicle for Singapore will run on batteries.



The car that's currently running on Masdar City's roads - built by 2getthere. Image: 2getthere. You have got to like this cool, quiet pod for your community! 


TheGreenMechanics: This may be suitable for UMS. The campus occupies large area of gated community with increasing number of students. In fact, this is one of the biggest campus in Malaysia in terms of land area.


Source: Mashable

Higher rate of use of alternatives, but Cash is still king in Singapore

40 percent of consumers in Singapore prefer paying with paper for daily spending, according to Nielsen's Global Survey.

39 percent of those who pay with plastic instead of paper use their credit card, 14% use their debit card and 2% use their prepaid card for daily expenses.

"Cash only!" 40% of consumers in Singapore prefer cash for daily spending.

In comparison, respondents in other ASEAN countries use cash payment in the following order:

• 74% in Philippines depend on cash payment, 
• 68% in Thailand
• 61% in Vietnam
• 60% in Malaysia
• 51 % in Indonesia
• (40% in Singapore)

Singaporeans shop on the web

49% of Singaporean respondents are comfortable shopping on the web. These shoppers use their payment card on smartphone and tablet device if they are sure their personal information is safe.

22% of Singaporean respondents said they may consider using their credit or debit cards for online payment. 29% consumers in the city declined using their cards on either a smartphone or tablet.

"There are opportunities to extend the usage of cash alternatives in Singapore, especially among consumers who rely more on cash payments, such as older consumers and less affluent consumers, for those transactions that are still predominantly paid for in cash."
- Luca Griseri, Head of Financial Services, Nielsen Singapore and Malaysia. 

Competitive credit card market 

Issuers of credit card have become very competitive as they are trying to encourage consumers to use their cards more often. Singaporeans use more than three cards more often in contrast to consumers in other Southeast Asia nations. 

In Singapore, many options are available to consumers who want to pay without cash, such as contactless technology, but it is important to understand the barriers and reasons why many consumers in Singapore prefer cash over credit cards, noted Nelsen's survey.

Source: CM


TheGreenMechanics: We were in Singapore last December and we preferred credit card over cash as it was convenient and many establishments give incentive, such  as discount, for payment with card.

Back in Malaysia, I tend to spend more when I use credit card, so, I pay with cash most of the time.

Colourful nightview of the Supertrees at Garden by the Bay

The Supertree Grove is already a magnificent sight from both above (through the Flyer^TM or Observation Deck) and from down below the 'tree' itself. But wait until you see them during the night.

They are showered with various light colours, a still picture would not do them justice; you have to take video of them or sit back and view them in person to appreciate the creativeness of those who put these things together to work the way they do.

I have taken some long exposure shots of this garden and they can be viewed at JD-Floyd Pictures.

One of the lights on display starting early evening.

More pictures at Night view of the Supertree Grove at Garden by the Bay.


Happy Monday!

Sustainable Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay

Located within Garden by The Bay, the Supertree Grove houses unique trees of up to 16 storeys in height. There are 11 Supertrees embedded with sustainable functions and cycles in energy and water throughout the garden.

You can walk along the 128-meter long skyway (bridge) that is suspended at 22 metres high. During a DukwTour (a war-time boat ride) along the Marina Barrage, we were told by the Captain that the Supertrees are powered by solar photovoltaic cells installed on their flat tops.

Panoramic view from the Observation Deck of Marina Bay Sands

If you are not a hotel guest, you can opt to view from here. You can go to the Supertrees for a fee.

Beside the Supertrees are the two conservatories: The Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome

 View from Skypark^TM  at 57th floor

Chill out on a cafe on top of the highest Supertree (about 50 m high)

View from our hotel room at 27th floor

128-metre suspended skyway connects two Supertrees

Take a walk here if you happen to be staying at Marina Bay Sands hotel.

Still in a Holiday mode, so, pardon the exasperated number of pictures. Happy new year & happy Holiday!

White tigers at Singapore Zoo

Your Singapore trip is not complete without a visit to the national zoo. So, last week we took sometime to spend a day at the popular tourist attraction in Singapore. According to estimate, over 1.6 million people visit the zoo each year.

We learnt during the tram ride that this zoo houses the largest captive colony of orangutan in the world. Our Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation centre in Sandakan may be bigger in terms of number of animal as well as land area but our orangutans are not keep in captivity.

This zoo is very well-kept and is easy to get around.

Note: All pictures were captured with smartphone cam, so, pardon the quality.


Wud be good for safari ride but this one is just for show. Not for rent.



You can purchase your entrance ticket to include tram ride. It helps a lot






On another day, you'll see these orangutan doing their 'Tarzan' swing



You can get pretty close to the giraffes






Inuka the polar bear during a show



Feeding the white tigers is one of the highlights at Singapore Zoo









Quite a crowd at the Splash Safari Show

Top 10 best-selling cars in Singapore (2013)

I was reading my copy of The Straits Times made available to hotel guests during our stay at Festive Hotel Singapore and this caught my attention - for the top 5 best-selling brands, the rank was dominated by European cars, with one Japanese brand in the mix.


3,506 Mercedes cars were sold in Singapore as at end-November 2013. Snapshot: The Stratis Times, December 24


Of the 10 favourite brands in The Lion City, one Korean car maker (Hyundai) made it to the list. Sorry Malaysia, your brands are nowhere in sight here. I'm not questioning why; I'm just reflecting on the popularity of the national cars outside of their country of origin.

To put things into perspective, popular models in Singapore such as BMW 3-series and Mercedes C-class are (for examples) sold at:

BMW 328i Luxury (A) Sedan - S$242,800 (with COE)
Mercedes-Benz C-Class C200 BlueEfficiency 7G-Tronic - S$237,888 (with COE)
[Reference: Oneshift]

In Malaysia similar cars would cost:
BMW 328i Luxury (A) Sedan - RM293,800
Mercedes-Benz C-Class C200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY 7G-Tronic - RM262,888
[Reference: Cycle & Carriage]


Top 10 best-selling brands in Singapore (Jan-Nov 2013):

Mercedes-Benz	-	3,506
BMW	-	3,295
Toyota	-	3,037
Volkswagen	-	2,729
Audi	-	1,593
Volvo	-	873
Mazda	-	595
Nissan	-	545
Jaguar	-	457
Hyundai	-	444

Proton & Perodua?           -       dream on?

As an example, Proton Preve 1.6 CFE is selling at S$116,000 ( total base price of S$58,000).
Kia Forte K3 1.6 (A) 2013 is selling at S$133,999 (total base price of S$67,000).

From every angle you look at it, Proton and Perodua will take a back seat in terms of number of cars sold in the rich city state. It's the similar case in Brunei.

TheGreenMechanics: While gaining popularity at home, there's still much to be desired of the homegrown car brands with regards to competitiveness and quality in general. Prices are still very high for Malaysian standard of living.

Singapore Housing Development Board is tendering out 5MW solar-leasing project

Just about a week ago, report surfaced that Singapore is installing its largest to-date rooftop solar PV with rated capacity of 1.2MW.

Few days ago, PV magazine reported another encouraging solar news from the city state - The Housing Development Board (HDB) is currently drawing up plans for the largest single solar-leasing project to date comprising 5MW in total in four precints on the main island.


First solar-leasing project in Punggol to develope 3MWp systems by Sunseap is currently on-going. Photo by Sunseap Enterprises Pte Ltd


Plan for 5MWp solar-leasing system at housing blocks

The tender is for prospective company to own and operate the panels on about 125 housing blocks in four precints:

• Ang Mo Kio
• Sengkang
• Serangoon North, and
• Buangkok.

The total solar electricity generated is expected to be around 5MW. This capacity can power more than 1,000 four-room HDB apartments. The HDB will be offsetting up to 30% of the start-up costs and will also purchase the electricity generated for 20 years at a 5% or greater discount off the prevailing market price.

The solar electricity generated will then be used to power the corridors, lifts, water pumps and other ancillary common areas in the apartment blocks. The HDB also wants to look into the possibility of households being able to buy solar generated electricity.

The HDB is a statutory board of the Ministry of National Development and is responsible for public housing in Singapore where as many as 80% of the population live.


Current project in Punggol

In January this year the HDB awarded a tender to solar developer Sunseap to lease 3MWp systems for 80 blocks in Singapore's first eco-town in Punggol. Installation works are expected to be completed by 2014. In this project, Sunseap will design, finance, install, operate and maintain the solar PV systems.


TheGreenMechanics: Solar leasing project - No FiT involved in the Singapore case here, but with innovation and creative ideas, developers and the local government can work together to arrive at a win-win conclusion.

Can we do that in Malaysia?


Reference: pv magazine

Singapore's largest rooftop PV system to be completed this year

Singapore prospers in many aspects but lacks one thing - Land.

But this does not stop the city state from venturing into this space-consuming solar PV project with the installation of its largest photovoltaic arrays on rooftops measuring 2.7 acres in total.


The CMM building rooftop is expected to be fully utilised with this PV installation. Photo by Phoenix Solar


1.2 MWp rooftop solar PV, Singapore's largest so far

Phoenix Solar will develop a 1.2 MWp rooftop installation for CMM Marketing Management HQ  and centralised distribution centre at Mandai Link in the northern part of Singapore. CMM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sheng Siong, the third largest supermarket chain in Singapore.

The PV system will cover around 11,000 square metres (approx.2.71 acres) and have a rated capacity of at least 1.2 MWp. The system is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.

Approximately 15% of CMM's electricity consumption will be covered by the rooftop PV system. This will mitigate at least 730 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year from Singapore's gas-fired power plants.

"The commercial and environmental returns of this project make it a viable business decision, which will continue to yield benefits for a long time."

- Lim Hock Chee, CEO of  Sheng Siong


Potential main source of electricity in Singapore?

Phoenix Solar believes the demand for bigger PV systems is growing in Singapore, where an industrial rooftop PV system can be expected to pay for itself in 7-10 years resulting in an unlevered project internal rate of return of 8 to 13%.

The attractive returns on investment is expected to spur further installations and by the end of 2013, Phoenix Solar predict that there would be at least 20 MW installed capacity in the country.

If this growth rate continues, then within a decade PV will become a mainstream source of electricity in Singapore, the company believes.

In February this year, Phoenix Solar also announced the development of a 435 kWp PV system for Greenpac (S) Pte Ltd, a manufacturer of environmentally-friendly industrial packaging solutions on its new integrated manufacturing and R&D centre facility.


TheGreenMechanics: Average retail electricity price in Singapore is currently SGD0.2628/kWh (approximately RM0.67/kWh) based on Q1/2013 data. That makes solar PV investment pays itself back faster than in Malaysia.


Reference: pv magazine

Singapore adults expect 35% pay raise after bachelor's degree

Year-end is coming fast like a bullet train. The 4-digit number is changing yet another time and very soon working adults would be expecting raise in their salary comes January. What's your expectation - 5%, 10%? I can bet all my money on you that you are expecting the highest possible.

How about a 35% pay rise? Sounds good?

In Singapore, money seem to be the biggest motivator for many to upgrade their education level. But then I suppose it is also the case in many other countries.

A quarter of Singapore adults believe they deserve 50% pay raise after first degree

Adult learners expect 35% pay raise after first degree

Singapore adult learners expect an average pay raise of 35% after attaining their first Bachelor degree, while almost one in four (23%) believed their first degree entitles them to an average increase of 50% or more in wages.

According to findings from the 2012 JobsCentral Learning Rankings & Survey, a similar portion of those surveyed (24.6%) expect to get a 50% increase and above in wages when they attain post-graduate qualifications such as Masters, PhD or MBA.

“Most employers acknowledge their employees’ new qualifications but will not automatically increase pay,” says Lim Der Shing, CEO, JobsCentral Group.

“Usually a pay increment will only be given if the employee is outperforming, underpaid or taking on new duties. So it is important to discuss wage expectations with your employer before you embark on a costly education programme,” he added.

The survey also found that the top course of study was business studies/ management, followed by finance/ investment in second place and accounting in third. Hospitality/ tourism/ F&B came in fourth position, while sales/marketing came in a close fifth.

Alright, nobody seems to like engineering courses in Singapore.


Source: Yahoo News

Malaysia’s first green library

Not too long ago, I wrote about Sabah's first ever Green Building in the form of Sabah Art Gallery Conservation Centre in Luyang Kota Kinabalu. Of course there's another one, the IEM Centre at KKIP but I'm unsure if the engineers' building has been completed yet.

The new library in Tanjung Aru will be the first Green Library in Malaysia when completed and made available to the public in 3 year's time.

"Itu dia!" (That's it), says Deputy Chief Minister, Yahya Hussin as Wong Vui Ying, director of Sabah Library nodded in agreement. Together with him are Azizah Dun, Welfare Minister and Jainab Ayid, an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Resource Development and IT. Photo by: Ille Tugimin


Green library gets support from private sector

It is Malaysia’s first green library. But half of the RM40million ($12.9mil) of the cost of the Kota Kinabalu regional library has come from a private company, the Lahad Datu Water Supply Sendirian Berhad. It is also the first such building funded by the private sector, according to Deputy Chief Minister Yahya Hussin who launched it at a groundbreaking ceremony in Tanjung Aru on Tuesday, September 4, 2012.

“This is a very good cooperation between the private sector and the government,” he said. The library is expected to be ready by 2015.

Like the Sabah art gallery, the library will turn to solar energy, harvest rain water and use materials that will not add to carbon dioxide emission to keep global warming in check.

Steven Tan, managing director of Lahad Datu Water Supply Sendirian Berhad, says the funding is part of his company’s corporate social responsibility. - via Insight Sabah


TheGreenMechanics' two cents:

It's really good that we are waking up to realise the need to conserve energy and save the environment. This is the common practice for many architects and building designers in West Malaysia. I should make the trip to Tanjung Aru and take a look at this building soon.

But the real deal is Singapore with its achievement of more than 1,000 green building as at the beginning of this year.