Singapore
The Electric Vehicles Charging Act 2022 (EVCA)
What is the ECVA?
The Singapore regulations on EV charging systems and their operators are largely encapsulated in the ECVA.
The EVCA commenced on 8 December 2023. The EVCA is supplemented by various subsidiary legislation, including the Electric Vehicles Charging (Electric Vehicle Chargers) Regulations 2023 (EVCR), Electric Vehicles Charging (Licensing) Regulations 2023, and Electric Vehicles Charging (Minimum Electrical Load and Charging Points) Order 2023.
By setting out the legal basis for safety requirements, licensing regime, and enforcement regime for EV charging systems, the EVCA supports the expansion of the network of accessible EV charging points in Singapore. The push towards electrifying Singapore’s vehicle population aligns with the Singapore Green Plan 2030, which roadmaps Singapore’s efforts towards achieving net-zero.
Who do the regulations apply to?
The EVCA and its subsidiary legislation applies to manufacturers, suppliers, operators, and service providers of EV charging systems. The EVCA assigns to these entities various responsibilities and obligations in relation to EV charging systems at various points in their value chain. The EVCA also sets out the duties of registered responsible persons (RRPs). On registering an EV charger, the LTA must register the RRP for the EV charger and assign the RRP a registration mark. RRPs must ensure that EV chargers are periodically inspected, certified and maintained by a prescribed competent person.
What are the requirements?
Chargers must be type-approved, certified, and registered by the Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA) before they can be supplied in Singapore. Approved EV charging equipment can be identified by the unique type approval ID on the approval label that is affixed to the EV chargers. The unique type approval ID is needed for registering the EV charger subsequently.
A licence is required to undertake regulated activities under the EVCA. The regulated activities cover the provision of electric vehicle charging services in Singapore and the engagement in conduct as a charging station operator. Each EV charging operator licence is valid for three years and licensed EV charging operators must comply with requirements imposed by the LTA, including purchasing public liability insurance, meeting downtime correction standards, and managing procedures for incidents. However, homeowners operating EV chargers for their household EVs and fleet owners operating chargers for their fleet vehicles do not require a licence.
All new buildings and buildings undertaking major building and electrical works are required to install a minimum number of EV chargers and allocate a minimum electrical load for charging EVs. Developments with fewer than eight parking lots are exempted from some of these requirements.
Manufacturers and suppliers of EV chargers have to give timely notice of safety-related defects in an EV charger or a model of that EV charger to the LTA; every RRP for a registered‑for‑charging EV charger that is of the same model; and every person having charge and control of an EV charger that is of the same model, if the EV charger is an unregistered charger.
The EVCA also sets out amendments to the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act 2004 (BMSMA) to facilitate easier uptake and management of EV chargers in strata-titled developments. The BMSMA was amended to lower the requisite threshold to that of an ordinary resolution for management corporations (MCSTs) to (i) enact, amend or repeal any by laws on parking lots within the common property with fixed EV chargers, or (ii) lease, rent or licence any part of the common property to any person (e.g. an EV charging operator) for the installation of fixed EV chargers for up to 10 years, provided that the MCST’s management or sinking funds are not used for the installation or uninstallation works.
Who enforces the regulations?
The EVCA grants the LTA broad powers of administration and comprehensive powers of enforcement. The LTA is empowered to approve applications for licences, investigate offences, and impose financial penalties for non-compliance with the EVCA. Appeals against certain decisions by the LTA under the EVCA can be made to the Minister.
Electric Vehicles Charging (Electric Vehicle Chargers) Regulations 2023 (EVCR)
What is the EVCR?
The EVCR is a subsidiary legislation of the EVCA. The EVCR elaborates on the EVCA by setting out greater details on the approval standards for EV chargers, classes of approval for EV chargers, procedures for registering EV chargers, duties of the registered responsible person in relation to change in charger location, requirements for the installation, certification, and inspection of EV chargers, and offences under the EVCR.
Who do the regulations apply to?
Like the EVCA, the EVCR concerns manufacturers, suppliers, operators, and service providers of EV charging systems.
The EVCR further sets out the responsibilities and standards for prescribed competent persons who are engaged to carry out certain activities under the EVCR, such as certifying or inspecting EV chargers. The EVCR also sets out the responsibilities and standards for prescribed persons (licensed electrical workers) under the EVCR, such as in installing EV chargers.
What are the requirements?
For EV charger models to be approved by the LTA, they must meet the safety and performance standards prescribed in Technical Reference 25 (TR25). The application to LTA for approval must include the prescribed information and documents in respect of the model of EV charger, such as any relevant test reports and any certificate of conformity issued by an accredited certification body, in compliance with TR25.
EV chargers are approved by the LTA based on their intended installation location and use. EV chargers approved for restricted access use can only be installed at restricted access locations. Restricted access location refers to parking spaces or locations that are within, or contiguous to a landed dwelling-house and form part of the same property ownership. EV chargers in restricted access locations must be inspected every 24 months. EV chargers approved for non-restricted access use can be used in restricted access locations as well. These chargers are often shared amongst several users, such as in public carparks or common access areas. EV chargers in non-restricted access locations must be inspected every six months.
Where there is a change in the location of a registered for charging fixed EV charger, the RRP must obtain LTA’s approval before using the fixed EV charger at the new charger location.
EV chargers must be installed, certified and inspected in accordance with the EVCR. LTA’s checklist of certificates and forms published by the LTA, as in force from time to time (LTA C&F List) must also be complied with for the certification, installation and inspection of EV chargers.
Who enforces the regulations?
The LTA is empowered to assess and approve applications relating to EV chargers under the EVCR.
