Singapore – Singapore’s transport company ComfortDelGro has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National University of Singapore (NUS), in an aim to develop innovative and sustainable services in the country.
The MOU will see ComfortDelGro investing S$10M in a mobility-focused CDG-NUS Smart & Sustainable Mobility Living Lab (CDG-NUS Living Lab), which will focus on energy sustainability, and integrated urban mobility, as well as smart and intelligent mobility technologies. The CDG-NUS Living Lab will be responsible for researching, testing, and analyzing mobility technologies to generate insights that could later be implemented in solutions for the mass market.
Furthermore, the transport company will invest another S$40M to replace its fleet of diesel buses with electric buses, which will be deployed to the NUS Kent Ridge Campus, as well as supporting infrastructure and mobility technologies. At the same time, ComfortDelGro Engineering will also seek to explore the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure into the campus’ car parks to study the impact of using EVs for traveling in and around the campus.
The company said the initiative is part of its plan to ‘electrify’ NUS. Part of this is having the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) targets validated and approved over the next 24 months, which includes transiting towards a clean-energy fleet, improving energy efficiency, adopting renewables, and driving business innovation.
The SBTi is an international collaboration between the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact (UN Global Compact), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the World Resources Institute (WRI) which encourages companies in the private sector to set science-based emission reduction targets to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, one of which is to limit global warming to a well-below 2°C and above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C.
Yang Ban Seng, the managing director and CEO of ComfortDelGro, shared that the global pandemic which began in early 2020 gave them an opportunity to recalibrate and review their businesses, saying that one of the key outcomes has been the keen awareness that they must step up their commitment to green technology and processes.
“Sustainability is not just a catchphrase to us. It has become a key pillar of our foundation and one that we intend to build on going forward. The collaboration with NU and our commitment to SBTi are just some of the new initiatives in this regard and we fully intend to invest and commit further in sustainable activities in the months and years ahead,” said Yan Bang Seng.
Meanwhile, Chen Tsuhan, NUS deputy president and research and technology professor, said, “The CDG-NUS Living Lab brings together advanced research and innovative technologies in NUS, such as sustainable energy and mobility engineering, as well as ComfortDelGro Group’s ambition and commitment, to develop innovative and sustainable services for Singapore and the world. It is also in line with the University’s goal of becoming a smart, safe, and sustainable campus.”
The CDG-NUS Living Lab is expected to be set up by September 2021.
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