MOT and LTA seeking public feedback for proposed legislation on electric vehicle charging

The Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) are seeking public feedback on the proposed legislation to regulate electric vehicle (EV) charging from now till Jul 14. 

The proposal is part of Singapore’s efforts to tackle climate change with the aim to reduce our land transport emissions by 80 per cent by around 2050. 

This comes after LTA’s announcement in March this year that half of its public bus fleet will be electric by 2030. 

As per the Bill, all EV chargers supplied in Singapore will need to belong to models approved by the LTA so that they are deemed safe for use.

For public locations, the chargers will have to be inspected periodically — every six months by an equipment specialist and yearly by a licensed electrical worker.

For locations with restricted access such as landed homes, the inspection must be done every two years by an equipment specialist. 

EV chargers with detachable batteries will not be allowed in homes due to the safety risks posed by home charging such as battery fires. Companies that wish to operate their own chargers can work with LTA to get approval. 

Additionally, all owners are required to register their EV chargers with LTA within 12 months. 

LTA stated that the registration would allow them to “properly assign accountability” for the use and maintenance of chargers while keeping track of “geographical areas with insufficient chargers”. 

All developments with car parks will also have to make passive and active provisions for EV charging. This includes the setting up of electrical equipment such as power transformers and circuit breakers as well as the installation of EV chargers at designated lots.

The Bill will also grant LTA the power to regulate EV chargers in Singapore, impose a licensing regime for EV charging operations, and mandate the provision of EV chargers in buildings.

“We see a strong impetus to introduce legislation to regulate EV charging across the key stakeholders in the EV charging industry, while the industry and EV adoption in Singapore are still nascent,” said LTA. 

More information about the legislative Bill can be found on LTA’s website. 

Members of the public who wish to provide feedback can email LTA with the subject “Public Consultation for the Electric Vehicle Charging Bill”.