The authorities have seized unregistered charging adaptors from six suppliers selling electric scooters, amid recent incidents of such scooters bursting into flames when they were being charged in homes.

In a statement on Friday (Dec 29), Spring Singapore said a total of 175 unregistered charging adaptors were taken away from these companies: CarbonRevo, Emarco Enterprise, Escoot.sg, Falcon PEV, Minimotors – Maxtech Plus, and Skateline SkateSchool.

These firms were identified after a market surveillance was conducted by Spring, which also found that there are two common types of unregistered e-scooter charging adaptors. These include adaptors packaged together with the e-scooters, as well as fast-charging adaptors which reduce the charging duration of the e-scooter’s batteries.

Spring said these adaptors were not tested for the required safety standards to determine whether they would cause electrical hazards such as electrocution and short-circuit resulting in a fire.

Under the laws, charging adaptors are classified as a controlled good under the Consumer Protection (Safety Requirements) Regulations (CPSR).

This means they must be type-tested and certified to meet relevant safety standards, after which they have to be registered with Spring and affixed with a safety mark before they can be supplied, displayed and advertised for sale in Singapore.

Spring said it conducts regular checks on suppliers as part of market surveillance to ensure that controlled goods meet the safety standards. Individuals found guilty of selling unregistered controlled goods can receive a fine of up to S$10,000 or a jail term of up to two years, or both.

In addition, Spring found that some suppliers selling e-scooters provided modification services such as modification of the battery capacity or the speed of the e-scooter by changing the motor.

“There are potential risks of modifying an e-scooter, especially its electrical components,” said Spring in its statement.

“These modifications may affect the overall electrical circuitry of the e-scooter and lead to electrical parts short circuiting due to incompatibility.”

The move to seize unregistered charging adaptors of e-scooters came on the back of recent fires involving e-scooters.

Earlier last month, an e-scooter that was being charged exploded in an Yishun flat. A day later, another e-scooter went up in flames at a Pasir Ris flat.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said there has been a spike in fire incidents involving personal mobility devices (PMDs) such as e-scooters amid the growing popularity of such personal transport devices.

There were 31 cases of fires involving PMDs from January to September this year, up from 19 cases over the same period last year.

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by Faris Mokhtar

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