ELECTRIC vehicles (EVs) in Singapore may soon have more charging options and a higher capacity, following the completion of a review of Singapore's national electric vehicle standard, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Tuesday (Mar 1).

A joint public-private working group, appointed by the Singapore Standards Council (SSC) and led by LTA, had assessed the standard, known as Technical Reference 25 (TR 25), from September 2020 to January 2022, the transport regulator said in a media factsheet.

Looking at new technologies and infrastructure to support the safe installation, maintenance and operation of charging, the working group has recommended a new standard to replace the previous standard first revised in 2016.

In the new standard, the group has recommended that 2 new modes of low-powered charging, Mode 2A and 2B, be introduced, which will both charge less than 2.3 kilowatts (kW).

Mode 2A will allow for the use of low powered versions of the existing Mode 2 portable charges, while Mode 2B will allow for the charging of detachable EV batteries.

Charging for both modes will only be allowed using 15 ampere sockets, and each socket can only serve 1 charger at a time to avoid electrical overloading.

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Meanwhile, the high-powered charging limit has been raised from 200 kW to 400 kW for the CHAdeMO Charging System, and from 200 kW to 500 kW for the Combined Charging System, both separate systems for charging EVs with different connectors.

This will allow higher-powered chargers to be deployed, said the working group, adding that standards for liquid cooled cables and pantograph charging methods have also been included.

Motorcycle owners may also look forward to battery swapping, as a standard for it has been included to provide more charging options for motorcyclists.

As for electrical safety and general requirements, the recommendations have introduced the role of an equipment specialist, who should be proficient and have sufficient knowledge of charger components, to assist in the installation and maintenance of a charger.

Charger owners will now be required to have their charging points inspected at least 3 times a year, instead of 4 times previously as the checks have shown to be sufficient and effective in ensuring safety, the group said.

To match international standards, bespoke environmental tests for chargers are also no longer mandatory, as the group reviewed that periodic inspection and maintenance requirements are sufficient to ensure safety.

LTA currently is working with testing, inspection, and certification bodies to be accredited to carry out compliance tests on EV charges under the revised TR 25.

Chargers that have been tested and found compliant with the existing standard will still be accepted in the meantime, and they do not need to be recertified.

There will be a 6-month transition period before compliance with the maintenance and installation requirements in the revised TR 25 become mandatory, LTA said, with more details to come.

The working group comprised a range of industry stakeholders, including manufacturers of charging equipment and EVs, testing and certification companies, academic experts, trade associations and professional engineers.

These experts participated in their own capacities and did not represent their organisations,said LTA.

Companies whose experts joined include engineering company Singapore Technologies Engineering, oil company Shell Eastern Petroleum and electric car sharing company BlueSG. Other organisations included Energy Market Authority, National University of Singapore and the Housing Development Board.

The 2022 revised edition of TR 25 can be purchased from the Singapore Standards eShop.

TR 25 was first established in 2010 to provide technical safety requirements for EV charging systems in Singapore, and revised in 2016 to include standards for direct current charging, among other changes. It was amended further in 2020 to provide technical requirements to support a mandatory maintenance regime set up by LTA.

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