All information below is only relevant when you intended to have a legal ebike in Singapore. The good reason that you are in this page is because you dislike run afoul with the law and risk $10,000 fine and jail for having illegal non-LTA-registered ebike.
Each Powered Assisted Bicycle or PAB (ebike) has to be inspected by the Authorised Inspection Centre (AIC). The AIC needs to check PAB specification and legal documentations for Land Transport Authority. Singapore LTA need to do a through out check and recheck to ensure public safety.
Even before the PAB is submitted to AIC, the charger of the PAB has to be approved and certified by SPRING Singapore to comply with Singapore safety requirements, including fire risk and interference to other equipment. A good charger (as picture) will have auto cut off once it sense overcharge. The process of getting a Safety Mark can be found at www.spring.gov.sg/productsafety
This first step alone, it is already too costly and time consuming for any individual to acquire all the relevant documents required for SPRING Safety Mark approval.
After SPRING approves the AC/DC charger and the 3pin UK plug, the importers need to apply for PAB type approval and furnish PAB documents such as European Union EPAC standard EN15194 Certificate and Reports from the Accredited International Testing Centre, Electro Magnetic Compliances reports, Bill of Material, Battery safety test report and many other supporting documents as required later by the inspectors from AIC and LTA (as stated at point 8 of their form at the bottom of this page)
Due to the nature of LTA standard operating procedures, only PAB that has a proper importation documents by local companies need to apply as individual application is not eligible. Time taken from submission to get the PAB type approval can be easily 1 year or more.
The cost may also be too prohibitive for any individual to satisfy all requirements. For example to get 1 specific test from accredited international testing center for a motorcycle can easily run hundred of thousands excluding sending back and forth the actual bike. Singapore does not have any accredited test center for ebike EN15194.
After detailed checking and verifications and completing all the requirements, it is still another 2-3 weeks processing time as stated on their form and may easily drags to months. LTA-AIC will then road test the PAB and each subsequently PABs. Only when all the PAB has passed the test and the verification completed then AIC will seal the PAB with official gold/orange LTA seal individually.
Few days after PAB sealing, LTA will send a registration and ownership documentation similar to the ownership documentations of a motorcycle or a car. LTA then issue license plate number which will need to be fixed permanently on the PAB.
Buyers need to know that only when PAB has been registered, sealed and issued proper documentations can be truly called "LTA approved".
Even when the same make and model has been type-approved previously there is no guarantee that the subsequent PABs will be approved. Each PAB has to go through detailed testing and verification by the AIC again.
PAB bought from parallel or overseas sellers will not get LTA approval as the legal documents need to be applied by the manufacture representative (as stated in LTA requirements below point 3.5. and point 4.4. and 4.6.).
Buyers should beware that even when PAB has EN15194 certification, it will not be automatically approved by LTA due to local adjustments and requirements. So far only a handful PABs are to have orange/gold seal LTA approval.
Remember despite whatever sellers may claims, when the PAB/ebike has no gold/orange seal already attached and no LTA registration documents, then it is NOT a truly LTA approved PAB.
Only bonafide seller will ensure that each PAB has an orange/gold LTA seal properly attached and registration documents before selling it to the user.
If all these information sounds too complicated, then you don't need to go through all those. As our company philosophy and work ethos (About Us), TWD Bicycle Pte LTD, only sell ebikes that have been sealed, approved, documented and registered by LTA. We work hard and take care all these compliances so you don't have to.
Happy e-cycling
