SINGAPORE: A retailer will be charged in court on Thursday (Jan 23) over two incidents involving non-compatible e-bike batteries.
Prince Bryan Tan, the sales and marketing manager of Drive Bikes Singapore, allegedly sold an incompatible power-assisted bicycle (PAB) battery on Jan 27, 2024, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday.
This caused the e-bike to be illegally modified, rendering it non-compliant, LTA added.
Tan is also accused of selling a non-compliant e-bike on Feb 21, 2024 as it was fitted with an incompatible battery.
This is the first time a retailer will be charged in relation to the incidents, LTA told CNA.
The e-bike battery linked to the first incident caught fire on Apr 27, 2024 while the customer was riding along Hougang Avenue 5.
In the second incident, LTA said the battery that came with the PAB had voided its EN15194 certification.
The EN15194 certification is a European safety standard for electrical PABs, according to OneMotoring's website.
That e-bike subsequently caught fire at the customer's home along Bukit Batok Street 32 on Apr 25, 2024, LTA added.
Drive Bikes Singapore has a showroom outlet in Aljunied, while its service and warranty centre is located at Syed Alwi Road.
An e-bike caught fire at a customer's home along Bukit Batok Street 32 on Apr 25, 2024. (Photos: LTA)
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment & Ministry of Transport Baey Yam Keng revealed that the customer in the first incident had suffered burns and required skin grafting.
He also noted that the second incident happened at the user's residence, causing "significant damage" to his home.
E-bikes fall under active mobility devices (AMDs) and regular enforcement is carried out against errant users and retailers, LTA said.
"More than 400 non-compliant AMDs were seized in the first half of 2024. During the same period, around 10 offences of selling non-compliant devices were found from operations against retailers," it added.
LTA has in place regulatory requirements for motorised devices to ensure public path and fire safety. These include mandatory compliance with UL2272 standards for motorised personal mobility devices (PMDs) and EN15194 standards for PABs.
"Only devices meeting these standards are allowed to be imported and used in Singapore."
The authority added that non-compliant e-bikes pose severe fire risks, which have led to six deaths since 2019.
"Members of the public are advised to only purchase from reputable sources, and check for defects and modifications when purchasing second-hand devices online."
If found guilty of causing a PAB to be illegally modified, first-time offenders can be fined up to S$20,000 (US$14,800), jailed for up to two years, or both, while companies can be fined up to S$40,000. The same maximum penalty applies to the sale of non-compliant PABs upon conviction.
(Image: LTA)
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Prince Bryan Tan, the sales and marketing manager of Drive Bikes Singapore, allegedly sold an incompatible power-assisted bicycle (PAB) battery on Jan 27, 2024, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday.
This caused the e-bike to be illegally modified, rendering it non-compliant, LTA added.
Tan is also accused of selling a non-compliant e-bike on Feb 21, 2024 as it was fitted with an incompatible battery.
This is the first time a retailer will be charged in relation to the incidents, LTA told CNA.
The e-bike battery linked to the first incident caught fire on Apr 27, 2024 while the customer was riding along Hougang Avenue 5.
In the second incident, LTA said the battery that came with the PAB had voided its EN15194 certification.
The EN15194 certification is a European safety standard for electrical PABs, according to OneMotoring's website.
That e-bike subsequently caught fire at the customer's home along Bukit Batok Street 32 on Apr 25, 2024, LTA added.
Drive Bikes Singapore has a showroom outlet in Aljunied, while its service and warranty centre is located at Syed Alwi Road.
An e-bike caught fire at a customer's home along Bukit Batok Street 32 on Apr 25, 2024. (Photos: LTA)
USER SUFFERED BURNS: BAEY YAM KENG
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment & Ministry of Transport Baey Yam Keng revealed that the customer in the first incident had suffered burns and required skin grafting.
He also noted that the second incident happened at the user's residence, causing "significant damage" to his home.
E-bikes fall under active mobility devices (AMDs) and regular enforcement is carried out against errant users and retailers, LTA said.
"More than 400 non-compliant AMDs were seized in the first half of 2024. During the same period, around 10 offences of selling non-compliant devices were found from operations against retailers," it added.
LTA has in place regulatory requirements for motorised devices to ensure public path and fire safety. These include mandatory compliance with UL2272 standards for motorised personal mobility devices (PMDs) and EN15194 standards for PABs.
"Only devices meeting these standards are allowed to be imported and used in Singapore."
The authority added that non-compliant e-bikes pose severe fire risks, which have led to six deaths since 2019.
"Members of the public are advised to only purchase from reputable sources, and check for defects and modifications when purchasing second-hand devices online."
If found guilty of causing a PAB to be illegally modified, first-time offenders can be fined up to S$20,000 (US$14,800), jailed for up to two years, or both, while companies can be fined up to S$40,000. The same maximum penalty applies to the sale of non-compliant PABs upon conviction.
(Image: LTA)
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