Ministry of Transport introduces new electric vehicles charging Bill

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The Ministry of Transport (MOT) introduced the Electric Vehicles (EVs) Charging Bill for First Reading in Parliament on Nov 9, 2022 to regulate the safe charging of EVs, to ensure the provision of reliable EV charging services, and to expand the network of accessible charging infrastructure in Singapore.

This is in line with the ministry's target to deploy 60,000 charging points by 2030, and for all vehicles to be of cleaner energy by 2040.

The EV Charging Bill will establish rules and regulations that will govern the charging of EVs. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be empowered with statutory powers for enforcement.

This would include establishing clear technical and performance standards that all EV chargers must meet to be supplied or used.

The EV Charging Bill will cover two types of EV chargers: fixed chargers (including battery charge and swap stations and pantograph chargers) and non-fixed chargers.

Chargers that are exclusively designed for charging non-EVs such as personal mobility devices, power-assisted bicycles, electric vessels, or electric aircrafts will not be covered under the Bill.

To minimise the proliferation of unregulated or ill-maintained chargers which can pose safety hazards, the Bill will provide LTA with powers to regulate the supply, modification, advertisement, installation, certification, registration, use, and maintenance of EV chargers.

The Bill will require all chargers in Singapore to be installed, certified, and used in accordance with prescribed standards, which will reference standards such as Technical Reference 25 for Electric Vehicle Charging Systems, and Singapore Standard 638 Code of Practice for Electrical Installations.

Chargers must be registered before they can be used. Upon registration, the registered responsible person will be issued a registration code for the charger, and must affix a registration mark on the charger.

Registered chargers will need to be inspected regularly in accordance with the relevant standards.

These EV Charging Operators (EVCOs) will be required to obtain a licence in order to provide the service.

Licensees will have to comply with conditions such as data sharing, purchasing of public liability insurance, and maintaining the service uptimes of their chargers in their network.

Licences will be valid for a fixed period and can be renewed.

The following charging provisions will be mandated via subsidiary legislation. Supply sufficient power capacity of at least 1,300VA per car and motorcycle parking lot in the development.

This will be able to support 7,400W charging points with smart charging capability at about one in five lots.

The Bill also provides for transitional arrangements for the industry and members of the public to comply with the legislation.

Upon commencement of the Bill, existing suppliers can continue to supply non-approved EV chargers for six months.

Existing EV chargers that are not registered can continue to be used for six months after the commencement of the Bill. 

Existing EVCOs can carry on their operations without a licence for 12 months after the commencement of the Bill.

MOT and LTA will work with the industry to facilitate these transitional arrangements.

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This article was first published in Motorist.