The Electric Vehicles Charging Act 2022 (“EVCA”), which regulates the safe charging of electric vehicles (“EV”), ensures the provision of reliable EV charging services, and expands the network of accessible charging infrastructure in Singapore, will commence on 8 December 2023.
Regulating the supply of EV chargers to ensure safe charging of EVs
2. Under the EVCA, all EV charger suppliers must ensure that charger models are type-approved by LTA to ensure safety before they can be supplied. Suppliers who have received LTA’s approval must then apply for approval label(s) via the OneMotoring website (https://onemotoring.lta.gov.sg/) and affix the label(s) onto the charger(s) before these can be supplied, installed or certified as fit for charging any electric vehicle in Singapore.
3. During a six-month transitional period from 8 December 2023 to 7 June 2024, existing suppliers for EV chargers can continue to supply existing/remaining non-type-approved chargers that comply with safety standards, as they submit their type-approval applications. From 8 June 2024 onwards, it will be an offence to supply a non-type-approved charger model. First-time offenders may be liable to a fine of up to $40,000 and/or imprisonment for a term of up to 24 months.
Registration of EV chargers to ensure proper use and maintenance
4. All EV chargers must be registered before they can be used. New EV chargers can be registered via the OneMotoring website using the type-approval ID[1] found on the approval label affixed on the charger. Owners who currently have an EV charger(s) that was installed before 8 December 2023 are required to provide LTA with their charger details to obtain a provisional ID for registration. Upon registration, LTA will issue a registration mark to the EV charger owner to affix onto the EV chargers, as proof of registration. Please refer to Annex A for the registration details, and Annex B for visuals of the approval label and registration mark.
5. During a six-month transitional period from 8 December 2023 to 7 June 2024, existing EV charger owners can continue to use unregistered EV chargers. From 8 June 2024, it will be an offence to use any unregistered EV charger. First-time offenders found guilty of charging an EV with an unregistered EV charger may be liable to a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment for a term of up to 6 months. Please refer to Annex C for a summary of the EV charger registration requirements.
6. LTA will impose a one-time registration fee of $750 for the registration of an EV charger to recover the costs associated with the regulatory regime. To support early deployment of EV chargers, the Government will provide the following time-bound subsidies:
a. Existing EV chargers that were purchased and installed before 8 December 2023 are eligible for free registration if applications are submitted by 7 June 2024.
b. New EV chargers deployed from 8 December 2023 to 31 December 2025 will receive differentiated subsidies. New low-powered EV chargers which are shared and/or publicly accessible will benefit from higher subsidies and be subject to the lowest registration fee. Please see Annex D for the breakdown of registration fee payable for the different types of EV chargers, and Annex E for an illustration of the regulatory fees payable by different charger owners.
7. The Government will review the registration fees closer to December 2025.
Licensing of EV Charging Operators to ensure reliable EV charging services
8. To ensure EV charging network reliability, EV Charging Operators (“EVCOs”) will require a licence to provide EV charging services or operate EV charging stations. This will apply to all EVCOs that provide charging services to the public[2]. Licensees will be subject to licensing requirements and conditions, such as maintaining the service uptime of chargers in their network, purchasing public liability insurance to cover their operations and providing charging-related data to LTA. Applications for the licence can be made via the OneMotoring website.
9. Existing EVCOs can continue providing EVCO services for a transitional 12-month period until 7 December 2024, without a licence. All EVCOs will need to have a licence to provide EVCO services thereafter. Those who operate without a licence from 8 December 2024 may be liable to a fine of up to $30,000 and/or imprisonment for a term of up to 6 months.
Mandating EV charging provisions at developments to ensure accessibility of charging infrastructure
10. The EVCA mandates the provision of EV charging infrastructure in developments undergoing specified building or electrical works. These specified building works and electrical works are:
c. Building works that (i) erect or re-erect a building or (ii) increase the existing gross floor area (GFA) of a development by at least 50%; and
d. Electrical works involving an increase in approved electrical load, where the resultant approved electrical load is more than 280 kilo-volt ampere (kVA).
11. Developers/development owners must supply a minimum power capacity of at least 1.3kVA per car and motorcycle parking lot in the development (“Passive Provision”), and minimally install charging points that draw a total power of one-fifth of the Passive Provision required (“Active Provision”). These provisions will only apply to building works for which an application for planning permission is made on or after 8 December 2023, and electrical works for which an application for an increase in the approved electrical load of the development is made to SP Services on or after 8 December 2023. More information on the submission and application process for building and electrical works can be found on the OneMotoring website.
12. LTA may issue a remedial notice to require rectification works to be carried out within a stipulated timeframe if non-compliance is detected. Contravention of a remedial notice will constitute an offence and offenders may be liable to a fine of up to $30,000. Developments with very small carparks[3] will be exempted from the Active Provision mandate.
Ordinary resolution required for the installation of EV chargers at strata-titled developments
13. The Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act is also amended to facilitate proposals relating to the installation of EV chargers in strata-titled developments. The thresholds for management corporations (MCSTs) to pass the following resolutions will be lowered to that of an ordinary resolution (i.e., 50%)[4]:
a. Any proposal to install or uninstall EV chargers as long as the lease contract between the MCST and appointed EVCO is not more than 10 years and the proposal does not draw down on MCST funds
b. Any proposal to enact by-laws on the use of parking lots for EV charging (e.g. designating charging lots to be used only by EVs).
Annex A: EV Charger Registration Process
Annex B: Visuals of EV Charger Registration Mark and Approval Label
Annex C: EV Charger Registration Requirements
Annex D: Breakdown of Registration Fee Payable per EV Charger
Annex E: Illustration of Total Regulatory Fees Payable for EV Charger Owners
