Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Higher emission standards for petrol vehicles, motorbikes from next April

SINGAPORE — Petrol vehicles and motorcycles in Singapore will have to meet higher exhaust emission standards from April next year, announced Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli in Parliament on Wednesday (March 8).

New hydrocarbon limits will be introduced for all petrol vehicles and most motorcycles. Reuters file photo

New hydrocarbon limits will be introduced for all petrol vehicles and most motorcycles. Reuters file photo

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

SINGAPORE — Petrol vehicles and motorcycles in Singapore will have to meet higher exhaust emission standards from April next year, announced Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli in Parliament on Wednesday (March 8).

The move, alongside other vehicle-related announcements made earlier by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in his Budget speech, is to help Singapore achieve its air quality targets for 2020.

Petrol vehicles that are properly maintained will be able to “easily” meet the revised standards, Mr Masagos assured at his ministry’s Committee of Supply debate. The new standards are meant to curb excessive emissions that are due to vehicle defects or poor maintenance.

Emission standards for diesel vehicles were already tightened in January 2014, and the new standards for petrol vehicles will be similar to those that are in place in Europe and Japan, said Mr Masagos. 

Vehicles are the second-largest contributor of greenhouse gases here, after industry.

Currently, the exhaust emission standards for petrol vehicles and motorcycles only specify limits for carbon monoxide emissions. From April 1, 2018, carbon monoxide limits will be lowered for newer petrol vehicles (registered from Jan 1, 2001, and from April 1, 2014) and motorcycles (registered from Oct 1, 2014). 

New hydrocarbon limits will be introduced for all petrol vehicles and most motorcycles.

The revised standards are expected to reduce carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions from the affected vehicles by more than 50 per cent. 

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said hydrocarbons are a precursor to ozone, and carbon monoxide and ozone are known to cause nausea and affect respiratory function. 

A new high idle test and lambda measurement will be introduced for newer petrol vehicles (registered from April 1, 2014, and excluding motorcycles) to detect defective components such as sensors and catalysts that could result in higher emissions. 

The high idle test requires engine speed to be at least 2,000 revolutions per minute during inspection, while the lambda test measures the quantity of intake air divided by the theoretical air requirement of the engine.

Earlier vehicle-related changes announced by Mr Heng were: The restructuring of diesel taxes, replacement of the current Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme with the Vehicle

Emissions Scheme to account for four other pollutants besides carbon dioxide; and extension of the Early Turnover Scheme. 

The Early Turnover Scheme will be extended for two years from August, for Euro II and III diesel commercial vehicles that turn over to Euro VI and equivalent models. 

While Singapore has achieved carbon monoxide levels below World Health Organisation guidelines, it has to do more for ozone, sulphur dioxide and particulate matter.

During the debate, Members of Parliament including Dr Chia Shi-lu (Tanjong Pagar GRC), Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio GRC ) and Non-Constituency MP Daniel Goh expressed concerns about air quality and pollution. 

Associate Professor Goh, in particular, highlighted bus commuters’ exposure to ultra-fine particles. Researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology found a “two-way bus journey five days a week could lead to a commuter inhaling about 3.5 times more tiny pollutant particles than at ambient level”, he said.

The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has also trained its sights on the industry sector, the country’s largest energy consumer (more than 50 per cent of the total) and contributor of greenhouse gas emissions (more than 60 per cent). 

The Energy Conservation Act will be enhanced this year. Larger industrial facilities will be required to submit a monitoring plan for the NEA’s approval, and an enhanced greenhouse gas emissions report. Robust emissions data will be a cornerstone of a carbon pricing regime, which the Government intends to implement as a carbon tax from 2019. 

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.