A local start-up recently announced their plans to implement a shared electric microcar service in Singapore.

Shortly after the news broke, they went viral for reasons they did not expect.

Some netizens compared the microcars, called "QIQ pods", to the paper cars one burns as offerings for the dead after seeing the mock up photo.

Same same but different pic.twitter.com/rx73UyuZjG

— All Singapore Stuff (@allsgstuff) August 12, 2020

The company, QIQ Global, was however unfazed by the public reactions.

Co-founder Dalston Pung said: "The whole office, everyone was laughing and joking at it. But I think on hindsight, it’s fine. We took it a lot more positively than expected."

Function over form

The company said that they do not think they will change the design.

They said that from the start they prioritised function over form. CEO and co-founder Justin Sim said: "When we first started designing these vehicles, we asked ourselves, maybe we need something sexier. Then we think about it, for shared transportation itself, the look is not the problem, the functionality is."

The QIQ Pod aims to be an additional mode of shared transportation to complement Singapore's public transport system. It will help commuters make that last mile journey, especially in neighbourhoods that are more spread out.

This is what they have identified as the gap in our public transport. Sim said: "For example, my parents are not really keen to take a bus because they are afraid they might fall in the bus, and therefore the elderly don't really want to do it."

"So we need to build something that will serve the majority of the public, ease their concerns of, you know, the weather, the time, or you know even the price."

Sim said that they hope the QIQ Pod will become the company's flagship product. just like how the iPhone was for Apple. He shared that they have been working on different technologies such as fast charging electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and even autonomous vehicles (AVs).

In the next few months, they will be working on combining all these different technologies, and hope to get a full prototype out in six to eight months.

Driving without a license?

On QIQ Global's website, it says that the QIQ Pods will be semi-autonomous and users will not require a license to operate it.

However, according to a news release by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in 2019, all AVs in Singapore are required to have a qualified driver who can take over control of the vehicle if necessary.

Sim said that the company is aware of this. He said: "In Singapore, we will need [a license] because as I mentioned LTA has a very different set of guidelines and rules when it comes to vehicle travel."

Besides getting a license to trial the QIQ pods from LTA, Mothership understands that the company will have to check with the traffic police to determine if users will require a driver's license to drive the microcars.

"Places like in the U.S. and Europe, these vehicles are called microcars, or LSEV (Low Speed Electric Vehicles). They actually don't require a license to drive."

Sim referred to a microcar called "Ami" launched by Citroën last year that in some places, will actually not require a license to use.

However, he clarified that the QIQ pod will not be exactly like AMI, and it will not be completely autonomous, but rather a hybrid.

He said that the company is aware that the public is not ready for a completely autonomous vehicle.

He added that the QIQ pod itself will be a customisation of the technologies that QIQ Global has been researching — which includes AVs — for the purpose of fulfilling Singapore's needs.

For example, to address concerns about road congestion, Sim said that QIQ pod will only be a quarter the size of an average car, and its weight will be closer to that of a motorcycle.

He said: "If we do carve out a lane for these vehicles, it will actually be called a bicycle lane."

Sim envisions that some restructuring might have to be done, but he believes that there is data to show that this sort of rework will alleviate road congestion.

Already working with government agencies

Sim shared that they are already working with government agencies like Enterprise Singapore and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), and intends to approach LTA soon.

He said that the a crucial step will be getting permission for a trial.

Sim said: "I can tell you the best thing that this vehicle can provide, but it is only the trial that will show its true benefits. And this is the part that will speak for itself."

Top image from QIQ Global and Troy and Shelley Adventures.