In Singapore, the Tesla Model 3 has a very special technical specification

The city-state of Singapore has a unique version of the Tesla Model 3, with reduced power and eligible for tax incentives.

There is a lot of complaining in France about the cost of a car, but there is one country where owning a vehicle truly means being wealthy: Singapore. It’s not that the purchase is expensive, but rather the registration certificate and then the annual license.

The example of the Tesla Model 3 is astounding. Its purchase price, in its version strictly identical to the European specifications, is 69,800 Singapore dollars, or about 47,600 euros (compared to 39,900 euros in France, after a 4,000-euro bonus deduction). But adding the registration fees known as COE, the bill rises to 199,892 Singapore dollars or 136,300 euros! That’s an additional cost of 88,700 euros just to register it!

An Idea for Europe?

By taking advantage of a slight loophole in the Singaporean homologation conditions, Tesla realized that a significantly de-powered version of its Model 3 would allow for a reduction in costs for its customers.

Thus was born the Tesla Model 3 110 Category A, with this number referring to its power limited to 110 kW or 150 horsepower. This is far from the 280 horsepower of the so-called Category B version! The performance is naturally degraded, with a 0 to 100 km/h acceleration time increasing from 6.1 seconds to 8.6 seconds.

Strangely, neither the range (still 513 km according to the local cycle) nor the top speed (201 km/h) are impacted. Does this mean that less power does not affect the range of the Tesla Model 3? This is impossible.

Tesla makes a small gesture for this version, but nothing more: its price decreases to 69,300 Singapore dollars, or 47,250 euros. However, it is the level of the COE that decreases, with a total bill dropping to 186,776 Singapore dollars, or 127,350 euros. A final saving of nearly 9,000 euros is not negligible!

And you, would you support a variable taxation scheme on electric vehicles based on their power? That would make sense with energy sobriety, wouldn’t it?

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