Electric Vehicles Charging Act to kick in on Friday
Tay Peck Gek
THE Electric Vehicles Charging Act takes effect on Friday (Dec 8), amid rising adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Singapore.
The law regulates the supply, installation, certification, registration, use and maintenance of chargers for green vehicles.
New EV registrations reached 22 per cent of total new car registrations in November, noted Dr Amy Khor in a Facebook post on Thursday. She is the Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, as well as for the Ministry of Transport.
In 2021, the proportion of EVs stood at just under 4 per cent of total car registrations. This year to date, the figure is at almost 18 per cent, she noted.
With the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act amended, the voting threshold for strata-titled developments (including condominiums) to install EV chargers for residents’ use has been lowered to 50 per cent, from up to 90 per cent. But this is provided that the lease contract with EV charging operators runs for no more than 10 years, and the proposal does not draw down on the management corporation’s funds.
In her Facebook post, Dr Khor noted that as at November, 275 condominiums had been given the go-ahead to install a total of 789 chargers. Of that number, 450 chargers in 165 condominiums were already operational.
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When the Electric Vehicles Charging Act is in force, all EV charger suppliers have to ensure that charger models are type-approved by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) before they are supplied, the authority said on Thursday.
Type-approved chargers must bear the approval label before they are supplied, installed or certified as fit for charging EVs in Singapore.
During a six-month transitional period from Dec 8, 2023 to Jun 7, 2024, existing suppliers for EV chargers are allowed to supply non-type-approved chargers in their inventory, but these must comply with safety standards.
After that transitional period, supplying a non-type-approved charger model will be an offence; first-time offenders may be fined up to S$40,000 and/or imprisoned up to two years.
The new legislation will require all EV chargers to be registered before use. Those who have chargers that were installed before Dec 8, 2023 are required to provide LTA with their charger details to obtain a provisional ID for registration.
During the six-month transitional period, existing charger owners can continue to use unregistered chargers, but it will be an offence to use any such device from Jun 8, 2024. After that date, a first-time offender using an unregistered charger may be fined up to S$10,000 and/or imprisoned up to six months.
Existing chargers bought and installed before Dec 8, 2023 are eligible for free registration if applications are sent in by Jun 8, 2024. New chargers deployed between Dec 8, 2023 and Dec 31, 2025 will receive differentiated subsidies in registration.
EV charging operators targeting public users will require a licence to provide charging services or to run EV charging stations. Those who operate without a licence after the transitional period, that is, from Dec 8, 2024, may be fined up to S$30,000 and/or imprisoned up to six months.
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