SeaPRwire

PMD fires often the result of battery short circuits: Experts

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Personal mobility devices (PMDs) that catch fire usually do so because of batteries that have short-circuited, said experts The Sunday Times spoke to. Associate Professor Palani Balaya from the department of mechanical engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) told ST that using batteries from an unreliable source, overcharging PMDs, or using an incompatible charger are some reasons why lithium-ion batteries in PMDs can short-circuit. Another issue is when PMDs do not meet safety standards, said experts. There have been a significant number of fires related to non-compliant PMDs which do not have the compulsory UL2272 certificate. In 2019, there were 102 fires caused by non-compliant PMDs - almost double the 52 in 2018. Last year, Mr Lam Pin Min, then Senior Minister of State for Transport, said it was worrying some people had started using non-compliant PMDs during the circuit breaker. The Government banned electric scooters from footpaths in November 2019, following a spate of accidents related to PMDs. Since the ban, the e-scooter population here has shrunk significantly, from a peak of about 100,000 in November 2019, to just 8,500 in March this year....

SeaPRwire
Read More

12 weeks’ jail for e-scooter rider whose device struck cyclist, causing fatal injuries

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - An e-scooter rider who was riding a non-compliant device when it struck an elderly cyclist in 2019, causing fatal injuries, was sentenced on Thursday (May 20) to 12 weeks' jail. Malaysian Hung Kee Boon, now 22, pleaded guilty earlier this month to causing Madam Ong Bee Eng's death by performing a rash act. The Singapore permanent resident had also admitted to one count of riding a non-compliant personal mobility device (PMD) on a public path, an offence under the Active Mobility Act. Another charge for riding an unregistered PMD on a public path was considered during sentencing. Before handing down the sentence on Thursday, Principal District Judge Victor Yeo noted that this was the first case in which a PMD user caused the death of another person by riding in a rash manner. The judge also said that Hung's riding was "reckless" and that he had done so at an "excessive speed". Deputy Public Prosecutor Dillon Kok had earlier said Hung's e-scooter was "grossly non-compliant", stressing that its weight, maximum speed and width exceeded the restrictions imposed on PMDs under the law. For instance, it weighed 44.2kg, more than double the permitted weight of 20kg. The DPP had ...