In light of new changes to the classification of Cat A vehicles as announced by the LTA yesterday, Bosch, the leading supplier of automotive technologies and components to automotive manufacturers worldwide, recommends that the LTA reconsiders the addition of engine power as a criterion to the existing COE system. This new criterion penalises vehicles that are more fuel efficient, and is a regressive step towards meeting the Singapore government's target of lowering overall carbon emissions by 11 percent (potentially 16 percent) by 2020.
There is a correlation between engine efficiency, power, torque and emission. As automotive technology advances, it is inevitable that engine power and torque increases, at any given engine capacity. Fuel consumption and emissions are also reduced as a result.
"Among other factors, a determinant of price is the technology within the vehicle, be it in terms of fuel efficiency or safety. The price of a vehicle is also always reflected by its size. As a matter of principle, smaller capacity vehicles are lighter, and are thus lower in fuel consumption - independent of engine power. Globally, the automotive development trend is towards lowering emission levels, and reducing engine capacities, as well as engine sizes," said Landhaeusser, Regional Head for External Affairs and Governmental Relations in Southeast Asia, Bosch.
For CAT A to be further subjected to an engine power criterion, two unfavourable outcomes will be brought about:
1) To meet the criteria of engine capacity and power output for CAT A, automotive manufacturers and dealers will be inclined to market vehicles with outdated technologies that are less fuel-efficient and thus contribute to more CO2 emissions. Often, these outdated models have also equally-dated safety features, if at all any, which will still meet Singapore's low safety regulations.
2) For vehicles that meet the engine capacity for CAT A but exceed the engine power criterion, automotive manufacturers may encode a limiter within the Engine Control Unit (ECU) of the vehicle to curb the engine's power output, thus meeting requirement for CAT A. This limitation can be easily removed after the vehicle leaves the showroom, and is not easily detected during mandatory vehicular checks.
To pave the way for greater social equity in car ownership, the adoption of a technologically-neutral carbon emission framework will automatically favour smaller, lower-emission cars into CAT A. This will be in tandem with the recently-introduced Carbon Emission-based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS) to promote cleaner vehicles and reduce carbon emissions in Singapore.
