I. Introduction

To meet its goals on the phasing out of internal combustion engine vehicles from its vehicle population by 2040 and building a low-carbon future, Singapore has rolled out several initiatives to accelerate the transition from traditional gasoline-powered cars to electric vehicles (EVs). Such initiatives range from tax concessions to providing 60,000 charging infrastructure for EVs in Singapore. More recently, new EV fast chargers began public operation on 19 January 2024 at the Housing Development Hub in Toa Payoh and the Oasis Terraces integrated development in Punggol. The acceleration of the electrification of Singapore’s vehicle population is evidenced by the near fivefold increase in electric car registrations in Singapore from 2021, with new electric car registrations reaching 18.2% of all new car registrations in 2023.

As part of Singapore’s multi-pronged approach on the seamless transition towards the adoption of EVs and renewable energy in general, the Electric Vehicles Charging Act 2022 (EVCA) has commenced on 8 December 2023 to regulate devices intended for charging EVs, operators of charging stations and providers of charging services for EVs. This article aims to provide an overview on the licensing regime for EV charging operators (EVCOs) and certification requirements that EV chargers would have to meet under the EVCA.

II. Approval for supply of EV charger models

Under the EVCA, approval from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is required to supply EV chargers and only homologated models of EV charger can be supplied. An application for homologation of a model of EV charger must be made to the LTA, and the LTA may approve a model of EV charger if it is satisfied that the model of EV charger satisfies the safety and performance standards prescribed to be a homologated model. Further to the Electric Vehicles Charging (Electric Vehicle Chargers) Regulations 2023, the prescribed safety and performance standards for a model of EV charger to be a homologated model are those safety and performance standards set out in Technical Reference 25 (TR25).

An application made to the LTA for the homologation of an EV charger model should be accompanied by:

1. any test report issued by an accredited laboratory on any test carried out on an EV charger of that model, for the purpose of ascertaining whether that model of EV charger complies with TR25; and
2. any certificate of conformity issued by an accredited certification body on the compliance of an EV charger of that model with TR25, that was in reliance on any test report mentioned in paragraph (a) above.

An approved person for a homologated model must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that an approval label made available by the LTA is affixed to each EV charger of that homologated model that the approved person intends to supply, install or certify before the EV charger is first supplied, installed or certified by the person in Singapore.

The LTA will provide a grace period for existing suppliers to continue supplying their EV chargers for six (6) months after the commencement of the EVCA (i.e. until 7 June 2024); however the supply of non-homologated EV chargers after the grace period will be strictly prohibited.

III. Registration of EV chargers

Apart from regulating the supply of EV charger models, the EVCA further requires all EV chargers to be registered before use. Under the EVCA, a person who has charge and control of an EV charger must apply to the LTA to register the EV charger before the EV charger is first used, or allowed to be first used, by any person to charge any electric vehicle in Singapore. The prescribed information and documents to be submitted for an application to register an EV charger are:

1. the certificate of fitness of the EV charger for charging any electric vehicle in Singapore, issued by a prescribed competent person;
2. the serial number of an approval label made available by the LTA in respect of the EV charger, or any other serial number issued by the LTA in respect of the EV charger;
3. the serial number of the EV charger issued by the manufacturer of the EV charger; and
4. if the EV charger is a fixed EV charger, the intended location for the installation of the EV charger.

On the registering of an EV charger as a registered-for-charging EV charger, the LTA will:

1. assign a registration code to the EV charger;
2. register a person as a registered responsible person for EV charger; and
3. assign the registered responsible person a registration mark showing that registration code.

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; however, it will be an offence to use any unregistered EV charger from 8 June 2024.

IV. Licensing of EVCOs

To ensure EV charging network reliability, the EVCA requires EVCOs to have a licence to:

1. provide electric vehicle charging services in Singapore; and/or
2. engage in conduct as a charging station operator.

The 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 the LTA.

The LTA has stated that existing EVCOs may continue providing EVCO services for a transitional 12-month period until 7 December 2024 without a licence; however all EVCOs will need to have a licence to provide EVCO services thereafter.

V. Exemptions of EV chargers

Certain exemptions may be granted for unregistered EV chargers which are used solely to charge “specified EVs” defined in the Schedule of the Electric Vehicles Charging (Exemption) Order 2023, where “specified EVs” are stated to refer to EVs that are not, or are not intended, for use on any public road or road which the public has access to (except for cement mixers, concrete pumps or mobile cranes).

VI. Minimum electrical load and charging points in buildings

The EVCA also requires developers of specified building works and development owners of specified electrical works to provide EV charging at their developments. These specified building works and electrical works are:

1. building works that:
   1. erect or re-erect a building; or
   2. increase the existing gross floor area of a development by at least 50%; and
2. electrical works that result in an increase of the approved electrical load to more than 280 kilo-volt ampere.

On a separate but related note, amendments were also made to the Building and Strata Management Act 2004 for management corporations (MCST) to pass ordinary resolutions with a simple majority of votes (i.e. more than 50%) for any proposal to install or uninstall EV chargers in strata-titled developments, provided that the lease contract between the MCST and EV charging operator does not exceed 10 years and the proposal does not draw down on MCST funds.

VII. Concluding thoughts

The EVCA is certainly a step in the right direction for Singapore’s plans to scale up the adoption of EVs and clean energy as a whole. With the EVCA, we can expect to see an increase in both the availability, safety and reliability of EV charging points across the country, which will form the foundation of Singapore’s emerging EV charging infrastructure. To that end, it is critical for EV charger suppliers and EVCOs, which will play a major role in propelling Singapore into its next phase of EV adoption, to be well aware and properly advised of their new obligations under the EVCA.