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BlueSG

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BlueSG Pte Ltd
Company typePrivate
IndustryCar rental
Founded2017; 7 years ago (2017)
Headquarters16 Science Park Drive, Queenstown, Singapore
Area served
Singapore
Key people
Franck Vitte (Managing Director)
Services
IncreaseS$ 5.2 million (2019)[1]
DecreaseS$ 9.3 million (2019)[2]
ParentGoldbell Group
Websitewww.bluesg.com.sg

BlueSG (stylised as blueSG) is a Singaporean company providing electric car sharing and electric car charging services.[3] Announced in September 2017, the company, a subsidiary of Goldbell, launched the service in December of the same year, with 30 charging stations and 80 all-electric Bolloré Bluecar for public use on a paid subscription basis.[4]

On 5 February 2021, it was announced that BlueSG was to be acquired by Goldbell Group, a Singaporean commercial vehicles and industrial equipment distribution and leasing company,[5][6] with the acquisition completed in October 2021.[7] The company's charging stations were also sold and acquired by TotalEnergies.[8] As of December 2020, the company had 374 charging stations located across Singapore and a fleet of 667 cars.[9]

History

[edit]
Bolloré Bluecar Bluecity in Hammersmith, London

In June 2016, Bolloré signed an agreement with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Economic Development Board to develop an electric car-sharing programme. On 27 September 2017, BlueSG announced with LTA to launch Singapore's first large scale electric car sharing programme, with the service's electric car supplied by Bolloré. The company also opened their Asia-Pacific headquarters for its e-mobility, energy management and system integration business for the region.[10] Bolloré used to operate several similar electric car-sharing services such as Autolib' in Paris, BlueIndy in Indianapolis and Bluecity in London, but failed to achieve scalability and has since ceased to operate in these 3 cities.[11][12][13]

Construction of the charging stations began at the end of September 2017 and in December 2017, the service was officially opened to the public with 30 charging stations and 80 cars located throughout the island.[4] BlueSG planned to expand the service to offer 2,000 charging points in 500 charging locations, with 400 charging points open for public use and 1,000 electric cars deployed by 2020.[14] In January 2018, within the first 3 weeks of operations, over 3000 members signed up for the service, with 5000 rentals completed.[14]

In December 2018, it was announced that BlueSG will open its charging stations to privately owned electric vehicles from the first quarter of 2019.[15] The charging service was officially launched in April 2019, with a total of 25 charging stations open to privately owned electric vehicles on a yearly subscription basis.[16]

Acquisition by Goldbell and TotalEnergies

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In February 2021, Goldbell Group, a Singaporean company, announced it had acquired BlueSG from Bolloré and the acquisition was finalised by October of the same year, after being in discussions since June 2020. According to Singapore's Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, BlueSG has been in a deficit since its launch, with the company making a loss of S$9.3 million in 2019.[2] After the acquisition was completed in October 2021, Goldbell would be investing around S$70 million in the company within the next 5 years to expand BlueSG's services and fleet, with plans to introduce different models of electric vehicles into its fleet[7] and to set up a new research and development centre that will be developing new mobility technologies and algorithms and to expand the service regionally.[17]

On 28 July 2021, it was announced that the network of 1,500 BlueSG charging stations was sold to TotalEnergies, which would continue to operate and maintain the charging stations.[8]

Operations and fleet

[edit]
A Bolloré Bluecar parked at a BlueSG charging station in Punggol.

Anyone aged 21 years and above with a valid Singapore driving license, ASEAN driving license or an International driver's permit can sign up for the service through the BlueSG mobile application or their official website. Users can choose between 2 rental plans, with per minute fees of S$0.36 (increased from S$0.33 from 1 March 2021). An available car can be booked through the mobile application or at the charging station itself. A parking space can also be reserved through the application prior to returning the car to the charging station, or users can park at any available lot that is not already reserved.

Corsa-e at a Bluesg station in Kembangan, Singapore

BlueSG introduced 2 rental packages on 1 October 2019, with the packages originally available for durations of 3 hours and 5 hours rentals respectively, which were only available from Monday to Friday.[18] On 1 March 2021, with per minute fees increased to S$0.36, the prices for the rental packages was also revised and the 5 hour package was replaced with a 4 hours one instead.[19] As of March 2024, the rates for the Corsa-E was revised to S$0.52 per minute, rental packages were also revised to 2 hours and 3 hours only available at different prices for weekdays and weekends, with the 4 hours package removed.[20]


The table below summaries the subscription types available, the subscription fees, pricing for the per minute rates and rental packages:

BlueSG service fees and use rates[20]
Plan Membership Subscription fees Car Model Rates per minute Remarks
Premium 6 Months S$18 per month BlueCar S$0.36 40 minutes free rental per month
Corsa-E S$0.52
Basic No Commitment S$8 per month BlueCar S$0.36 —
Corsa-E S$0.52
BlueSG rental packages rates[20]
Rental Packages[19] Availability Rates Remarks
2 hours Weekdays (until Friday 3pm or eve of public holiday) $17.86 —
Weekends (Friday 3pm onwards) - Sunday (or until eve of public holiday) $22.90
3 hours Weekdays (until Friday 3pm or eve of public holiday) $28.14
Weekends (Friday 3pm onwards) - Sunday (or until eve of public holiday) $36.06
Private EV charging service

The BlueSG charging service was officially launched in April 2019, with users having to sign up for the charging services through BlueSG's official website and a yearly subscription fee will be charged in addition to per-minute charging fees.[16]

The table below summaries the subscription types available for the charging service:

BlueSG charging service fees and use rates[21]
Plan Membership Subscription fees Rates Remarks
Charging Service 1 Year S$20 per year S$1 per hour S$1 per hour (First 3 hours)
S$2 per hour (Subsequent charges)

Fleet

[edit]
Main article: Bolloré Bluecar
See also: Opel Corsa § Corsa-e, and Hyundai Ioniq 5

The service uses the all-electric Bolloré Bluecar, which were adapted to suit Singapore's left-hand traffic. It is a three-door hatchback electric car with four seats and has a 30 kWh lithium metal polymer (LMP) battery, coupled to a supercapacitor, that provides an electric range of 250 km (160 mi) in urban use, and a maximum speed of 120 km/h (75 mph).[22]

The Opel Corsa-e was introduced to the fleet in October 2022.[23] It is a five-door hatchback electric car with five seats and with a 50 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which has an estimated range of 337 km (209 mi), which is longer than the range of the Bluecar. The car also features fast charging which allows it to be recharged from 10 to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes, although there are no fast chargers in BlueSG stations.[24]

In July 2023, BlueSG unveiled its latest addition to the fleet, a Singaporean-assembled, "First 100" edition Hyundai Ioniq 5.[25] It is a five-door SUV electric car with five seats and has a 77 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, enabling a maximum driving range of 507 km (315 mi). Being the one and only fleet vehicle of its kind, it features a distinct livery and colour as compared to the rest of the fleet. The car bears the license plate "EVS1L", designating it as the inaugural car among the 100.[26] The car is accessible only via advance reservations and special rental packages, which cost S$90 and S$200 for 6-hour and 24-hour durations respectively.[27]

[edit]
  • Bluesg Bluecar with the 100 stations celebratory livery.
    Bluesg Bluecar with the 100 stations celebratory livery.
  • Front view of the Bluecar.
    Front view of the Bluecar.
  • Bluesg Bluecars parked at a station.
    Bluesg Bluecars parked at a station.
  • Bluesg station in Ang Mo Kio.
    Bluesg station in Ang Mo Kio.
  • Front view of the Corsa-e.
    Front view of the Corsa-e.
  • Back view of the Corsa-e.
    Back view of the Corsa-e.
  • Bluesg Corsa-e parked at a station.
    Bluesg Corsa-e parked at a station.

Controversies

[edit]

As with most car sharing companies in Singapore, BlueSG has come into the spotlight for its high excess fees against its users in an event of an accident or maintenance issues with the vehicle, including minor ones,[28] with growing calls to regulate the industry and increase consumer protections from such predatory practices.[29]

In 2021, a BlueSG user was charged SG$1,000 for a flat tyre.[30] In 2022, a BlueSG user was charged almost S$10,000 excluding a further third-party charge of S$5,000 to S$8,000 – totaling up to S$18,000 – after the car was damaged from hitting a garbage can.[31]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "BlueSG". Tracxn. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Electric car-sharing outfit BlueSG poised to be sold". The Straits Times. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  3. ^ "BlueSG Pte Ltd Information". The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  4. ^ a b "SINGAPORE'S FIRST LARGE-SCALE ELECTRIC VEHICLE CAR-SHARING PROGRAMME TO HIT THE ROADS IN DECEMBER". Land Transport Authority. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Goldbell Group confirms BlueSG acquisition, to invest more than S$70 million over next 5 years". Channel News Asia. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  6. ^ "GOLDBELL GROUP ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF BLUESG". Goldbell. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  7. ^ a b "GOLDBELL ON THE FAST TRACK TO DRIVE BLUESG GROWTH Company plans to invest up to S$40 million by end 2023". Goldbell Group. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  8. ^ a b "BlueSG electric vehicle charging network to be acquired by TotalEnergies". Channel News Asia. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  9. ^ "S'pore Electric Car-Sharing Firm BlueSG Confirms Acquisition By Goldbell Group". Vulcan Post. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Singapore's first electric car-sharing programme to launch in December". Channel News Asia. 27 September 2017. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  11. ^ "Paris: Autolib electric car scheme 'to end in days' after authorities pull the plug". The Local. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  12. ^ "BlueIndy electric cars will be repurposed — or crushed". Auto Blog. 31 May 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  13. ^ "Bluecity service has permanently closed since 10 February 2020". Bluecity. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  14. ^ a b "More than 5,000 BlueSG electric car rentals in first 3 weeks of service". The Straits Times. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  15. ^ "BlueSG will open charging stations to privately owned electric vehicles from next year". The Straits Times. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  16. ^ a b "BlueSG opens charge points to electric vehicle owners" (PDF). 23 April 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Goldbell confirms acquisition of BlueSG; commits $70m to turn it around and expand business". The Straits Times. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  18. ^ "BlueSG's Electric Vehicle Car-Sharing announced the opening of its 1,000th charging point, across 253 charging stations island-wide". Eco-Business. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  19. ^ a b "Rental Packages - BlueSG". 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  20. ^ a b c "Pricing - BlueSG". BlueSG. 4 March 2024.
  21. ^ "Charging service". BlueSG. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  22. ^ Bluecar. "bluecar La citadine 100% électrique" (PDF). Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  23. ^ "First of 500 BlueSG electric Opel Corsa-e cars launched in S'pore for rental". Mothership. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  24. ^ "BlueSG announces more choice for its car-sharing customers with launch of new Opel Corsa-e flee". Carbuyer Singapore. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  25. ^ "Fast Lane: Wild sports cars, electric multi-seaters". The Straits Times. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  26. ^ "FAQs: Bluesg Ioniq 5". Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  27. ^ "Home: Bluesg Ioniq 5". Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  28. ^ Yip, Christy. "'The sight and sound give me PTSD': Hassles outweigh savings for some car-sharing users". CNA. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2024. When accidents happen, however, car-sharing quickly becomes a costly affair owing to an accident insurance clause that dictates excess fees.
  29. ^ Yeap, Amanda (19 January 2024). "The Big Read: Growing calls to regulate car-sharing, amid rising complaints of hefty repair costs and poor service". TODAY. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  30. ^ Yeap, Amanda (24 April 2021). "Car-sharing firms increase penalties to deter 'inconsiderate usage' while some users complain of high repair costs". TODAY. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  31. ^ Lay, Belmont (30 September 2022). "BlueSG user to pay some S$10,000 after car hits 'garbage can' as he let someone else park it". mothership.sg. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
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