The Republic is the only test site worldwide for the project, which will test and optimise alternative energies for sustainable transport and a cleaner future.

 

One of the world's leading producers of premium passenger cars and the largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles, Daimler AG, recently introduced its first-ever test of 10 Smart "Fortwo" city vehicles, in petrol and gasoline basic versions, to test alternative fuels in real life conditions.

Singapore is the only test site in the world for this comprehensive field test. The Republic was selected for its infrastructure, governmental support, and its comprehensive green initiatives and commitment to support green technologies. Local traffic and road conditions serve as a good testing platform, coupled with tropical weather conditions of high temperatures and high humidity, which will provide new and useful data. In addition, Daimler's excellent experience with various government bodies and the keen interest shown by environmental and educational institutions are all highly suitable pre-conditions for the testing.

The Smart vehicles test fleet will be studied and evaluated over a two-year period, and all vehicles will undergo mandatory regular inspections and assessments. This is to determine fuel consumption levels along with comprehensive technical tests and measurements to gauge fuel efficiency and emissions levels, and derive the optimal combinations for both.

 

Daimler's Sustainable Mobility Strategy

According to Professor Dr Herbert Kohler, Vice President, Group Research and Advanced Engineering, Vehicle and Powertrain, and Chief Environmental Officer, Daimler AG, the global volume of vehicles currently stands at 900 million. This figure is set to double in less than 30 years and is expected to be compounded by the booming demand for oil. Given these reasons, Professor Kohler says the key question is: "How can we use limited resources economically and what alternatives should we focus on?"

In a bid to address this, Daimler has developed its strategy of sustainable mobility for Mercedes-Benz, and other brands in the Daimler portfolio. Professor Kohler explains, "Our approach is to create individual vehicle concepts with modular powertrain technologies. We focus on several key areas: the optimisation of our vehicles with combustion engines; the increase in efficiency through hybridisation; and the development of zero-emission mobility with battery and fuel-cell vehicles. The results of the Smart test bedding project in Singapore will give us valuable data of real-life testing of alternative fuels."

 

Test Bed of New Environmental Technologies

Smart is one of the passenger car trademarks within Daimler AG's portfolio. It was recently launched in America and proved to be very popular because of its trendy design and fuel efficiency. A Smart car with a conventional diesel engine, dubbed the "CO2 (carbon dioxide) Champion", is one of the lowest emissions vehicles in its class. It is also a bona fide "three-litre-car", where fuel consumption can be as low as 3.3 litres per hundred kilometres, depending on the driving cycle. This makes it one of the most fuel efficient vehicles available today.

The Smart fleet was specifically selected for testing in Singapore because its city-car concept offers the most suitable application, and standard Smart vehicles have been awarded many environmental credentials. The initial test fleet comprises five petrol cars, of which, four are mild hybrid versions, and five diesel cars. The latter will utilise a plant-based Jatropha derivative of biodiesel and Gas To Liquids (GTL) synthetic diesel fuel.

"Considering Singapore's increasing traffic density challenges, we want to demonstrate that an efficient city-car concept increases quality of life whilst adding style elements." - Dr Rainer Thiel, President and CEO, Daimler SEA

Dr Rainer Thiel, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Daimler South East Asia (SEA), emphasises that the Mercedes-Benz technology behind this initiative transcends the effort to merely reduce CO2 emissions. Dr Thiel explains, "We are pursuing a holistic approach that extends to all relevant aspects of the entire life-cycle of a vehicle. The Smart test fleet clearly shows that driving an environmentally friendly vehicle is fun and trendy and, considering Singapore's increasing traffic density challenges, we want to demonstrate that an efficient city-car concept increases quality of life whilst adding style elements."

Daimler's Smart test bedding project in Singapore draws on the Republic's unique ability to bring together government agencies and regulatory bodies to support experimentation and to generate new ideas. Many of the solutions developed for Singapore will be useful for wider application in cities all over the world.

Daimler's Smart test bedding project in Singapore draws on the Republic's unique ability to bring together government agencies and regulatory bodies to support experimentation and to generate new ideas.

Urban Solutions for Urban Problems

The project is in line with the Singapore Economic Development Board's (EDB) "Urban Solutions" business growth theme. As an urban centre that is constantly seeking innovative ways to ensure that it remains attractive for business and offers a high quality of life, Singapore is an ideal "living lab" for companies to test and develop urban solutions.

"Under this growth theme, the EDB, together with partner agencies, will create development platforms which companies can draw on to test, develop and adapt urban solutions in areas dealing with green building technology, urban mobility, water treatment, clean energy, and e-governance, amongst others. Through these platforms, companies can plug into the development roadmaps of agencies such as the Land Transport Authority, Housing Development Board, JTC Corporation and the Public Utilities Board (PUB)," says Manohar Khiatani, Assistant Managing Director, Industry Development, EDB.

The concept is best exemplified in PUB's groundbreaking development of new water management technologies. PUB's pioneering trial - the world's first - with the use of 16-inch reverse osmosis membrane systems, was subsequently scaled up and utilised in its NEWater plants. Companies like General Electric, Siemens, and Nitto Denko are tapping on PUB's infrastructure to test various leading-edge water technologies and have established global research and development centres here. In addition, home-grown water treatment company, Hyflux, has implemented innovative water solutions in Singapore, which it now exports to China and the Middle East.

Commenting on Daimler's Smart test bed project, Khiatani adds, "We welcome such efforts in promoting sustainable mobility and we hope that companies will not only test these solutions here, but also work with us to adapt these solutions for future markets. Besides our partner agencies, we have a strong base of research and education institutions as well as local companies eager to work with companies to make this happen. At the end of the day, we hope to be the reference site for companies to exploit and export future-oriented urban solutions."