EV talk: What owning an EV in Singapore is like
Rudi Venter, Head of Marketing at Audi Singapore and early electric vehicle (EV) adopter shares his thoughts on the EV life.
An electrified future is on the horizon as Singapore moves very rapidly towards an electric vehicle-only future. With the government’s push for cleaner energy car models, it won’t be long until EVs become a common sight on Singapore roads.
Rudi Venter, Head of Marketing at Audi Singapore and car enthusiast was one of the early adopters to switch to electric close to a year and a half ago and has not looked back since. “I only want to drive an EV. It makes everything else seem a bit old fashioned!” he quips.
He has been with Audi for 17 years and has been calling Singapore home for five and half years, so he has seen his fair share of the brand’s pursuit of an electrified future and the country’s move towards a low-carbon tomorrow.
Rudi drives an Audi e-tron Sportback.
As an automobile aficionado, he has driven many Audis through the years, including some performance models like the Audi RS 3, Audi RS 5 and Audi RS 6 Avant. “While EVs may not have the emotive engine sound of a finely-tuned V6 or V8 engine, they more than make up for this with excellent and instantaneous acceleration,” he explains.
According to him, Singapore is the perfect place for these new generation of cars, thanks to the country’s growing charging infrastructure and the additional government incentives designed to help address EV affordability.
He shares his thoughts on going electric.
Did you have any initial concerns before you made the switch to EV?
I had some concerns initially about range. Also, because I’m a car enthusiast, I had the thought that driving an EV may not be as enjoyable as an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. Both proved to be unfounded. As it turned out, when it comes to range, I can drive for a whole week on one charge as the Audi e-tron has a usable range of nearly 380 km on a full charge. Considering my daily commute to the office is 38 km return, it’s easy to do the math.
With nearly 380 km on a full charge, range is not a problem in Singapore.
What are some of the biggest joys of driving an EV?
I find that it gives a silent and effortless driving experience. EVs are really smooth and relaxing to drive — perfect for staying calm in traffic jams. And with 300 horsepower on tap and instant torque, performance is immediate! It feels like the future because it is. You never have to visit a petrol station again (except maybe to pump your tyres). Also, they are cheaper to maintain and the cost of charging is way cheaper than filling up with fuel!
According to Rudi, Singapore is the perfect place for EVs.
What are some of the biggest misconceptions that people have about EVs?
That EVs are somehow more of a burden to drive and own than an ICE car. That’s simply not the case. More and more destination charging points are coming up at malls, public parking spaces, office blocks and even the airport. You can charge while you do other things like shopping or having lunch. With fast charging of 50 kW DC, you can go from 10% to 80% charge in less than an hour — most people spend double that time at the mall shopping!
Even long-distance driving is relatively easy as we proved recently on a media drive from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur which featured the Audi e-tron S Sportback, Audi e-tron GT, and the Audi RS e-tron GT. All three Audi e-trons only had to be charged once in Singapore and for about 35 minutes in Kuala Lumpur for the return trip.
How different is the Singapore EV market compared to the rest of the world?
In Singapore, the car market is complex but we’ve seen an impressive uptake in enquiries and interest in the Audi e-tron range. And if you look at the amount of new EV models from other brands on sale now in the country, there is really no doubt that the tipping point is close!
The Audi e-tron Sportback has two electric motors and quattro all-wheel drive.
How has the EV scene changed since you first started driving an EV?
There are many more public charging points available and many more EVs on the road. Also, we see many of the doubts and misconceptions about EVs are slowly fading.
Any advice for those considering making the EV switch?
Go and take a test drive — you have to experience how EVs drive. It’s a lot of fun. Also, understand what charging options are available to you. If you have a landed property, install a home charger. If living in an apartment, HDB or condo, check with the management as they may already have chargers installed or are planning to. Don’t listen to hearsay and rumours. Do some research, speak to other EV drivers and try different models until you find what works for you. With Audi, you could try the Audi e-tron on an extended test drive through our Audi on demand mobility service — give it a go!
