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MyCarForum will be at the SmartKids Asia event - Asia's largest Educational Kids' fair, held at Hall 5 of the Singapore Expo between the 21st and 23rd March. Freebies - ranging from cashcards to power banks - will be given out at MyCarForum's booth to its members. If you are a Premium Member, simply send an SMS (from a number registered with your Premium Account) to 8450 2687 with your MyCarForum username in the message body. Thereafter, you will receive a SMS coupon to take part in a sure win lucky draw. Simply present this SMS coupon at the booth, H15, during the event days and walk away with one of many attractive prizes! If you are not a Premium Member, don't worry as you can upgrade to one for FREE now! Non-Premium members will receive MCF's car decals and car sticker - available in three colours. There is no purchase or hidden agenda involved. This is a pure rewards programme for the premium members of the forum. The list of prizes up for grabs in the sure win lucky draw are as below. Good luck!

Singapore's great weakness is that it is an absurdly small nation. Paradoxically, one great strength of Singapore is that it is an absurdly small nation. Hence, Singapore can try things out on a national scale that few other nations can dream about. Let me suggest one such bold national project. Let Singapore become the first country in the world to have an all-electric fleet of vehicles: cars, trucks, taxis, buses, etc. Singapore can create a new chapter in world history by becoming the first country in the world not to have petrol-fuelled engines on the road. And why should Singapore do this? There will be at least three massive benefits from doing so. Healthier population First, Singaporeans will breathe much cleaner air. Without petrol and diesel engines, there will be much less carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, particulate matter and other pollutants in the air. As a result, I have no doubt that the health of Singaporeans will improve. There will be fewer instances of asthmatic attacks, and incidents of cancer may also go down. Singapore will also become the quietest city in the world. Economists have not yet established simple and easy ways of measuring such “positive externalities” that will flow from an all-electric fleet in Singapore. Yet, there is no doubt that the environment will improve massively. Singaporeans will become a happier nation and Singapore will become an ever more attractive destination for the best global talent. (Oops, maybe I shouldn’t say this!) Second, Singapore would be positioning itself for the day when a global carbon tax or emissions trading system is introduced. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change just released its latest climate change report. The evidence is now irrefutable. Human activity, especially in the form of greenhouse gas emissions, is warming the planet. Many countries will suffer the negative effects of rising sea levels and bouts of extreme weather. Singapore will be one of the biggest losers if the worst-case scenario unfolds. While Singapore is too small to make a large difference to climate change mitigation efforts, an all-electric fleet would help us deal with a global carbon tax, thus boosting national competitiveness. Delay climate change By creating an all-electric transportation system, Singapore can help to delay climate change. How? Singapore’s behaviour alone will not make a massive difference. But bear in mind that the Asian middle-class population is about to explode, from about 500 million now to 1.75 billion by 2020. If these new middle-class citizens begin buying petrol-burning cars, the planet will be literally, not metaphorically, fried. Clearly, some powerful examples will be needed to demonstrate that the world would be better off not buying petrol-burning cars. By going all-electric, Singapore will act as a key catalytic agent to help to prevent global warming. The manufacture of electric cars emits more carbon than that of traditional vehicles because of the energy-intensive methods used to mine, smelt and process the iron, lithium and rare earth elements that go into the batteries and other components of electric cars. But studies have shown that electric vehicles make up for this by having much lower carbon emissions when they are in use. Most of Singapore’s electricity is generated from natural gas, a relatively clean fossil fuel. Using electric cars will result in an effective 66 percent reduction of carbon emissions in comparison with petrol- and diesel-powered cars. Cars as status symbols The third benefit of creating an all-electric fleet is that it will help to reduce the obsession with cars as a status symbol, as electric cars will simply be seen as functional vehicles to get from point A to point B. For the few Singaporeans who insist on having status symbols like Maseratis, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, I would like to strongly recommend the Tesla, the environmentally friendly status symbol. By moving to an all-electric fleet, we shift the status competition in Singapore away from having the most powerful and fastest cars to having the most environmentally friendly ones. So who should lead the charge to convert Singapore’s car fleet into an all-electric one? I think I know what is going on in the mind of any Singaporean who is reading this sentence. Every Singaporean will expect the Government to take the lead. Unfortunately, this is the wrong answer. If the Government tries a top-down strategy, there will be a lot of resistance. The only way such a massive change can take place smoothly is for it to be a bottom-up initiative. New developmental approach Indeed, as Singapore approaches the 50th anniversary of its independence and Singaporeans ponder on the next 50 years, the country should consider a major change of approach to the future development of the country. Singapore has been extraordinarily successful in our first 50 years because of a remarkable number of government-initiated policies. Let me just cite Singapore Airlines, Changi Airport, PSA, and the Singapore Newater story as a few examples. None of these were citizen initiatives. However, for the next 50 years, we will need a balance of government-led and citizen-led initiatives. Making Singapore the first electric vehicle nation should be the first citizen-led initiative in the nation’s history. Anyone who thinks that a single citizen cannot make a significant difference should look at the record of Tesla Motors and its chief executive Elon Musk. Mr Musk is giving a personal guarantee (including with his personal money) that the Tesla will retain as much second-hand value as the equivalent Mercedes. Even more astoundingly, he has begun building charging stations so that you can drive from Los Angeles to New York in a Tesla. If you can drive across a large country like the United States in an electric vehicle, it is surely possible to do so in Singapore. No charging station in Singapore will be more than a few kilometres away. In fact, charging stations could even be installed in private parking lots and driveways. The Government can help by creating an infrastructure that supports electric vehicles. It could also provide tax and other benefits. Currently, because of the high cost of electric vehicle batteries, such cars cost more, thus placing the vehicle in a higher tax bracket than cheaper but less environmentally friendly cars. Even the recently introduced Carbon Emissions-Based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS) does not offset the higher costs. Sadly, Tesla had to close its dealership in Singapore without selling a single fully electric car after less than a year because it was not able to receive “green tax benefits” from the Government. But the benefits that would flow from the creation of an all-electric fleet would be far greater than the tax revenues that the Government stands to lose in giving out tax benefits. In short, it is a “no-brainer” for Singapore to become the first country in the world with an all-electric vehicle fleet. No other country can do it as easily as Singapore. The benefits in all dimensions - environmental, health, social - will far outweigh any costs. Indeed, I cannot think of any real cost to making the change. So the big question is: Which citizen of Singapore will stand up and take the lead? If the movement succeeds, it will “electrify” both Singapore and the world. The hour has come. Let the right man or woman stand up and lead the movement. -- ST ILLUSTRATION : Miel by Kishore Mahbubani for The Straits Times

Are you a driver who does not use his vehicle too often? We have good news for you. DirectAsia.com an award winning online insurer has launched a new car insurance aimed at leisure drivers. This first of a kind motor insurance is available to drivers who use their car less than 8,000km per annum. You do receive all the coverage but just at a reduced premium, including Off-Peak cars. Interestingly drivers who drive less than 8,000km per year are less prone to accidents. As such DirectAsia would like to reward such drivers by providing savings to their premiums. Through introduction of such premiums motorists can be expected to save between 10 to 15 percent, all you have to do is drive less. CEO of DirectAsia.com Simon Birch commented the new low mileage based insurance saves motorists money if you do not drive frequently or you possess a second vehicle that is not used often. He is also delighted to be the pioneering company to offer such a service in the tropics. DirectAsia.com, is a new and innovative online insurance provider that began operations back in June 2010. As a dedicated direct personal lines insurer, DirectAsia.com provides fast and easy access to insurance needs online. They are fully licensed and regulated by MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore). The company

According to a latest Straits Times article, local labour union National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) aims to help low income workers upgrade their live-hood and monthly income range by providing subsidiaries of up to 90% to obtain a Class 3 or 4 driving licences. People whom obtain them can apply for better paying jobs in the transportation industry. A Class 3 licence can cost up to $2,000 yet under the new scheme, qualified and successful applicants only end up paying $200. This scheme is only for all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents whom are seeking or considering jobs at the transport and logistics industry, which is seeing a severe shortage of manpower. To qualify you must be currently earning less than $1,700, or below $1,400 per household member a month. All successful applicants will also receive a training allowance and can finish the course in a faster pace of nine months. Jobs including delivery, dispatch or bus drivers will be offered after successfully obtaining their licences. NTUC aims to place 5,000 locals or PR's in transport and logistics based jobs that pays more than $1,500 by the year 2015 and wants to attract mainly the locals and PR's in an industry largely dominated by foreign workers.

We have come across advertisements like the one above, from insurance or real estate companies in our local tabloids. Usually there is a picture with rows of agents whom are smiling and celebrating their success with the most business and obviously earning a large sum for commission. Visually similar to your annual school yearbook. Online insurance company DirectAsia.com has done the exact opposite. For its latest advertising campaign, they have featured happy customers, instead of agents in their spoof ads, with the phrase, "Insurance companies today seem to have a lot of happy agents. Quite frankly, we'd rather have happy customers.

Take the trip down to the automotive section of a hypermarket and you will be greeted with an army of car care products. Unless you are a professional, or you work for the brand itself, any motorist will be dazzled for choice, especially when they all claim to work for similar purposes and often portray a uniformed look. Recently, a German company known as Dr. Wack whom specialises in premium automotive care products arrived in town, and has been complimented by a number of established motoring publications. Just like its competitors, you utilize the products to sustain the looks of your vehicle, be it a car or a bike. But where it stands out is its highly credible background. I'm sorry Dr Who? Dr. Wack is a premium German car care product founded by Dr. Oskar Kurt Wack. Since its first breakthrough product in 1976, Dr. Wack has produced countless protection and care products for cars, motorbikes and even bicycles. Wait, people polish their bicycles? His company-Dr. O.K. Wack Chemie GmbH, started in 1975 and is based in Germany. Till today, they maintain a strong philosophy of development, manufacturing and international commercialisation of new applications or improve existing products in the market. From the start, the firm focuses on building robust R&D techniques to create the products that could stand to the toughest requirements and expectations of its customers. Can I trust you Dr? The concept that

[extract] Formula One Licensing BV, the outfit which actually handles all use of the F1 name and part of the Formula One group of companies under Bernie Ecclestone, had on 2nd July 2010 agree to withdraw its legal suit against Speed Drinks Pte Ltd after the beverage distributor had agreed to stop all sales of its