Singapore is making a lot of changes to its transportation industry to tackle climate change. The country intends to reduce land transport emissions by 80 percent from 2016 levels, by around 2050. To pave the way, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is ramping up the public bus fleet's electrification and incorporating more clean energy measures into the transport infrastructure. In addition, more will be done to spur the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and EV charging infrastructure. Now, the government of Singapore is planning to implement new laws that would require new buildings to install EV charging stations in at least 1 percent of parking spaces.
What’s the new law about EV charging?
The Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the LTA want to develop laws to govern EV charging among the industry’s main stakeholders. EVs are refuelled by electric vehicle charging systems. The Government intends to introduce regulations to ensure that EV charging infrastructure is safe, reliable, and accessible for EV users.
The proposed legislation will establish regulatory frameworks to govern EV charging infrastructure. The new law will provide LTA with statutory powers to enforce these regulatory frameworks. Following are the changes that can be expected if the new law is passed:
• The bill will impose a licensing regime for EV charging operators, and mandate the provision of EV charging in developments.
• EV charging providers will need to supply EV chargers that are approved by LTA.
• All EV chargers will need to be registered with LTA within a “reasonable time frame” after they have been installed.
• All new buildings with carparks will have to install EV charging points in at least one percent of their total car and motorcycle parking lots in the future.
• EV charging areas need to support charging with 7.4-kilowatt chargers for 15 percent of the total parking spaces.
• All new EV chargers need to comply with the government’s required safety standards.
• EV charging operators must ensure that they meet the reliability and quality standards of charging service provision.
• All new buildings and even those undergoing major redevelopment will have to install a minimum number of chargers to ensure accessibility for EV drivers.
Commenting on the new law, LTA said: “As part of Singapore’s efforts to tackle climate change, Singapore intends to reduce our land transport emissions by 80% from 2016 levels, by around 2050. One key strategy to achieve this target is to increase the adoption of cleaner energy vehicles, and in particular, electric vehicles (EVs). EVs currently produce around half the emissions of an internal combustion engine vehicle.”
In line with the Singapore Green Plan 2030, transport operators like SMRT Corporation are working on EVs and EV charging infrastructure along with the government and LTA.SMRT Roads Group, through its Strides Mobility brand, is working on the best-in-class mobility solutions with the lowest carbon footprint. After converting some of the taxis to EVs in 2021, SMRT will convert its entire taxi fleet to electric vehicles in five years.
Commenting on the same, SMRT’s former CEO, Neo Kian Hong, said: “Through both Mobility-as-a-Service and Electrification-as-a-Service, we intend to bring charging infrastructure and a diverse fleet of electric taxis, cars, vans, limousines, motorcycles, and buses to meet the evolving needs of a diverse local and regional market.” SMRT recently appointed Mr. Ngien Hoon Ping as its Group CEO with effect from 1 August 2022. Mr. Ngien Hoon Ping is succeeding Mr. Neo Kian Hong, who has stepped down from the Group CEO role.
Conclusion
Singapore is among the many countries developing more infrastructures for EVs. The proposed legislation will provide the statutory authority to LTA to enforce new EV charging standards. This will help EV drivers to gain access to safe, reliable, and accessible EV chargers in Singapore.
About the Author
Chloe Yao
Chloe Yao has been working as a lead designer in an electric vehicle manufacturing company. She is a strong advocate of rustable technologies and loves to share her views on the same. When she is not working, Chloe loves to explore new places and try different cuisines.
