Why Elon Musk called PM Lee about my Tesla car | EP 11

cleaner energy by 2040. Efforts to achieve this include incentives and rebates as well as building infrastructure to encourage more drivers to switch to electric vehicles on the roads. But this wasn't always the case. Hello and welcome to

the climate conversations. I'm your host, julie you today. We're gonna talk about electric cars and my guest is the first person to own a Tesla in Singapore from being a refugee of the Vietnam war to sinking roots here in the Lion City, joe Newman has quite a story. Welcome, joe. Thanks for joining me. Thanks julie. Glad to

join the climate conversation. We've had a pretty fascinating and incredibly dynamic life to say the least from being a refugee from the Vietnam War to graduating from Princeton and being the first Tesla owner in Singapore and now the president of Tesla owners club here. That's quite a journey. And tell us a bit about how you ended up here in Singapore. Oh my gosh, how I ended up is interesting. I went to America, I didn't speak english and this is 1980. I'm 51 years old.

I lived through the Cold War. I lived through the eighties. I studied engineering and I was supposed to be an engineer and then I took one year off to go to Singapore in 1993 on an exchange program in neon polly to be a lecturer. And I came here and I was like wait, I don't want to be an engineer. And then I got into media, that's how I stayed in Singapore. I got married, I went into digital and then I got really technical in the early days of the dot com era with startups

and stuff. And then I got into e commerce and in the last 10 years or so has been more in media as a technologist, I'm a mechanical engineering major from one of the top universities. So when electric cars came out I'm like okay what is this? What does it mean? And actually the car that everyone knows me for is not the first Tesla on the road, it's the second Tesla on the road, the model? S the first Tesla is actually Roadster, a bright red Roadster that I brought in at the end of 2012, the

first Tesla registered in Singapore. So why Tesla because when Tesla first came out in the U. S. Many thought it was going to fail, it's going to go bankrupt. It was just a crazy Silicon Valley company trying to do the impossible, although now every automaker is trying to come up with an electric car, but did you see that coming was so exciting about it?

It wasn't necessarily Tesla initially the first one, we understood that the performance of a car is just like any other car that drives like a normal car, it's just much quieter and acceleration is much faster, a lot more fun. But as a mechanical engineer makes sense. Electric cars have been around for ages. They're called remote controlled toys. Everyone's had them growing up, the little things that grow out of, that's an electric car. It is that simple, It's got a motor, it's got a battery.

So the simplicity of it less moving parts and everything from a internal combustion engine, which is a normal car. What we've done with the internal combustion engine is amazing as humans, what we've developed and optimized it to where it is, but there is a limit as to what we can do with an internal combustion engine were exploding fuel, it's a mini explosion. You're pumping petrol and you're squirting it in there. You're blowing it up, it creates the work

that drives the car. You look at that, you're like, wow, what we've done with that. And then you look at electric car and you're like, oh, that's so simple, have you ever opened up a remote control cars? Because when they break and replace the battery and you're like, oh, that's it, there's just a little thing here and then there's the battery and then the wheel drive, it's gone. So joe take me back to 2015 when you decided to import a used Tesla model s from Hong kong.

I guess what you didn't see coming was tons of paperwork and inspections of $15,000 carbon emissions. Surcharge by the authorities in Singapore was quite an ordeal, wasn't it? Yes, it was annoying. The first car was quite easy. It took a couple months and it was on a different scheme and I was 40% off part, which is actually quite a decent incentive. But by the time it rolled around to 16 when I got the model s in, it was a different scheme and the whole L ta slash viacom and

all the stuff. They just didn't know what to do. I'm supposed to go for inspection, but they've never seen one that never had to deal with one because the testbed electric cars that Singapore had went through a different process, they didn't know what to do. They didn't have the right equipment even so this incident eventually caught the attention of Elon musk who stepped in, reached out to Prime Minister lisa and long on the matter. What was going through your head then? Well that was

kind of naughty. That was kind of crazy. I got the car in. I need to get on the road. It's taking too long. I'm working. I used to fly 200 days a year. I was busy and then things take longer, things like longer and it was just like okay by the time the six months in and they were like, okay, everything's done except you need to pay this penalty instead of getting a rebate for having zero emissions. I had to pay $20,000 because my car was considered inefficient

and I argued with him. I wrote and I wrote my mps, I did all this stuff and there was no resolution. So I'm like, okay, you know what? It's seven months just just pay to get on the road. So I just pay the fine, got it on the road. And then I was talking to a journal, Rock Hill and he did a very short piece for tech tv. Just sort of outline what happened and it just went viral.

All the car guys picked it up. Jalopnik picked it up and then it became mainstream that by the end of the week Elon musk called the prime Minister the reason why one, he had the number and to Prime Minister had visited Elon musk at the factory and had a tour of Tesla and so he comes back and then a month later he gets a call and apparently again, I'm not in the room, but Ellen says like my car is not

that inefficient. I don't know what, how you guys test, it wasn't about me, it wasn't about the fine, it wasn't about, it's like my car is not that inefficient. So he was more upset that the car was tested wrong more than anything else. Did you get to talk to Elon musk? I've actually been to the gigafactory when they opened the one in Utah. I've actually seen him during my travels. I've seen him in shanghai coming out of the same hotel. I was saying I see a fleet of Teslas drive up. I'm like

Tesla and then I'm like, hey what's going on? I'm like watching and then security comes and I'm like oh big huge guys with sunglasses and then Ellen kind of rushes out and I'm like I'm like walking over and security guys like uh I'm joe from So thinking back would you have done the same if you know that was going to take that much money and time. Oh yeah I knew from the beginning that it was going to go that way and it will go that way as a technology. I have a longer

view on some of these things. Electric cars are just straight forward. It will maybe it's not 50 years, maybe it's 100 years but it will happen and now it's to happen faster whether it's the climate change and everything but we can't keep on exploding petrol. There is going to be a limit somewhere. We need different renewable energy. We need to figure out what that is. So I guess after your incident followed by the government's start stop approach to electro mobility.

Some prospective E. V. Virus have been staying away. They've been feeling unsure about E. V. S future in Singapore but fast forward today. What in 10 cars purchased in the first half of 22 were electric vehicles? Does this come as a surprise to you? What do you think triggered that change? Obviously the government policy, I think in 20 35 we will stop selling I ce cars here. So that's pure internal compassion. There still be hybrids, the battery

going into a car is happening. Whether it's the only thing that powers the car which is the trend or there will be a period where there is a mix of hybrids and plug in hybrids have always said, Singapore is the first and only market that can do this in 10 years by something called C. O. E. It can phase out all cars in 10 years and force new C. O. S to be signed on at a different right? So of all the countries that could do it, Singapore has the legal system and legal ability to actually do it.

When you say people about Singapore, like it's an ideal place for TVs. Why is it not there? It's more ideal than Hong kong Hong kong has more Teslas. Why is that? Singapore is ideal. It's small and short. You have to worry about charging. It can always be connected anywhere. So when you talk to the other Tesla owners, what are the main reasons why people are buying E. V. S. I think there's a novelty aspect, there is the branding aspect for Tesla in particular

the environment is a big factor. Money, how much a car is? That's the first factor and then okay what brand do you want? Why do you want to be associated with this brand? Yes, the Tesla brand talks about sustainability, talks about sustainable transport. So there is that huge component of people buying that into Tessa and then Volvo has one. Now obviously that the chinese ones have brought a number

of them in. There is a lot more selection now and then people will start to say okay we're choosing electric and so there are choosing electric for those reasons. Obviously the top brand is currently Tesla that's for a number of reasons. The software integration is beyond anything that other manufacturers are currently doing. Like I've controlled my car

from my phone since 2016. My wife is like, hey I'm at the car, I've got baggage okay, unlock, okay, done lock, alright, come back and meet me at the coffee shop. The ability to just have access to it when you're in it to control everything from the corridor to the windows to the music that's on Spotify. All that stuff is one Os. Yeah it's not apple carplay and that to me is something that's very cool that the other manufacturers have yet to catch up.

and don't charge at home. Right? When you rely on public charging and which is what most people will have to do. Accessibility that and changing your schedule is and okay, well I'll go there and I'll plug in. I know where to plug in when there's more ability to plug in into condos in all malls, more parking lots are dedicated, all that stuff and then people will be less concerned about that. I don't think there is a concern at the moment because I think we have more chargers per car than

in Hong kong. So I hear that you charge your E. V. Primarily at home. What does it take to install the private E. V charging station right at your doorstep. There are many people offering the services these days, Tesla owners club, we have partners who offer solutions on installing and maintaining and all that kind of stuff. I think installation is about $3000. It varies depending on the charger. Mine does about 40 km of charge per hour. I can plug it in

three hours later. I'm full or something like that. That's a night chargers like my phone, I plug in my phone, I plug in my car. We also charge outside as well, whether it's green lots, which is now shells or sp you just go find the right one. Okay, go and pay for in your app. Some point to range anxiety as one of the key obstacles. This means the fear that the car's battery will die

mid trip. Has that ever happened to you or anyone who owns a Tesla that you know of everyone when they first get it has that range anxiety and they have to just learn that it's not an issue. So once you creep down to below 100 kilometers and you're like, okay, but Singapore is so small. The worst you can do is get towed somewhere. I never had to get towed anywhere because I ran out of electricity. My car has 400 kilometers range. Like it's like a week.

I don't have to worry as much, but other people who live in condos, I need to figure out charging. Yeah there'll be a period where they're kind of worried and until your comfort level is like okay I'm going to charge the next day. It's a mindset change. It's

a real concern is a real problem. Know, what would you say to those people who argue that E. V. S are no better that they have a larger carbon footprint and typical cars and exciting lithium ion batteries that tend to be more sort of resource intensive to make. What would you say to them? Sure at the beginning of any technology it's going to have that curve of investments of R and D. These car factories have been around for ages. They're out of the equation when you have a new

car because it's been there. It's it's kind of built in. Well now there's a new factory now there's a new way of doing things. Yes. In the short term it's going to seem like it's taxing more the environment as things are being developed. You can say a carbon footprint is high. Well not because I'm driving it, not because I'm plugging in and by the way I'm paying for

all the carbon footprint through my electricity bill anyway. You're not paying for the externality of dumping C. 02 into the air into the city that's an externality that you don't get taxed where you get tax for petrol for economic reasons on how the country runs but has the country counted in the externality of carbon dioxide dumping out of a car? I would say it hasn't because it's charging me the same road tax. Actually higher road tax for T. V. Than for an

internal combustion engine. So I would say that Singapore hasn't taken that into account the externality of carbon dioxide spewing directly into the city. Alright, so joe as a person who had a sort of front row seat to watch the transformations unfold. How hopeful are you that E. V. S will be the technology that will finally wean us off from fossil fuels. I think car ownership would change, I would say 10 years when cars are driving themselves, ownership of a car doesn't

matter fractional ownership of a car could be interesting. I could buy a car and then when I'm at my office the car goes out and makes money for me doing grab automatic automatic driving and it comes back because I'm like oh I have a lunch appointment, I'm scheduled to come back. It comes back and picks me up.

That kind of ownership changes how it's powered becomes irrelevant to a consumer but from an industry perspective it will be easier to control autopilot and it'll be a commercial decision on moving to CVS and be able to back up that automated car charges somewhere, it comes back, it's ready, the whole fleet will be like that. So I think car ownership will change America is different? Everyone's gonna have a car. Everyone loves stuff.

But in a Singapore in cities why would you own a car when you can own a fractional ownership of a car and have it ready when you need to like the Jetsons. You ever watch the Jetsons growing up? It's a cartoon and the future of family. It's a flying car that just comes whenever they need it and then okay then zooms off and drop them off and then it goes and parks itself. You don't have to worry about parking.

So I think mobility changing grab will start changing electric cars will just sort of happen because it's just easier to manage to flee anyone who wants to buy E. V. If there's one thing that you like to say to them what would it be joe We really have to think about what we contribute to society and how we do little things to change. This will happen and whether you're on it now or later you will be there and it's just part of the future.

The other thing when we're talking about climate change beyond cars and TVs is just consume less. Just consume less stuff. We're so ready to consume more things. Just consume less things that's packaged things. Let's just consume less. I eat one meal a day these days I'm going to live to 100. That's the plan. I have a plan to live to 100 and 51 years old and that means I need to be physically fit. Yeah, I need to be physically fit. I need to be mentally

financially fit and all that stuff. Part of that is just how do you live your life just consume less consumers are the ones that are actually driving everything, but to do your part for the environment as a consumer just by less, consume less. That's how they actually contribute. Okay, what a great message to end on. Thank you so much, joe for your time. I really enjoyed talking to you. Thanks julie. Good to chat with you. Well, thanks to my guest, joe Newman and thanks to

all of you for tuning in. We hope you enjoyed this episode that do remember to subscribe and like this podcast. So you know, when a new episode drops, you can find CNN's climate and sustainability coverage online at sienna dot asia. The team behind this podcast is Joanne, chan Jacqueline chan Danieli and Christina robert and I'm julie you signing off