SINGAPORE: Class 3 and 3A driving licence holders will soon be allowed to drive heavier electric light goods vehicles (LGVs) and electric small buses, the traffic police announced on Friday (Dec 12).
The move is aimed at supporting Singapore's commitment to fully transit to clean energy vehicles by 2040, they said in a news release.
Under current regulations, Class 3 and 3A licence holders may only operate LGVs and small buses with an unladen weight not exceeding 2,500kg, with vehicles above this weight requiring a Class 4 or Class 4P driving licence.
The traffic police said it assessed that Class 3 and 3A licence holders can safely operate electric LGVs and electric small buses with an unladen weight not exceeding 3,000kg, given that they have "similar handling characteristics and dimensions as their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts with an unladen weight not exceeding 2,500kg".
Electric LGVs and electric small buses are typically 400kg to 500kg heavier than their ICE counterparts due to the weight of their batteries. These batteries are usually positioned beneath the vehicle floor, which creates a lower centre of gravity and enhances vehicle stability.
"The fundamental road-handling characteristics and dimensions of such electric vehicles (EVs) are similar to their ICE counterparts that Class 3 and 3A licence holders are currently permitted to drive," said the traffic police.
From Dec 15, Class 3 and Class 3A licence holders will be allowed to operate four models of electric LGVs and electric small buses with an unladen weight between 2,501kg and 3,000kg.
The models, which were identified based on industry requests, are Higer's H5C High Roof, Mercedes-Benz's eSprinter 320, Ford's F-150 Lightning and Joylong's EA5. The eSprinter 320 and F-150 Lightning are electric LGVs, the EA5 is an electric bus and the H5C High Roof can serve as both types of vehicles.
The traffic police said the change will take effect via an exemption order for these two groups of licence holders.
They added that the exemption order is intended to be an interim measure while it works on legislative amendments and system enhancements in 2026 to raise the unladen weight threshold across the board.
Following that, all electric LGVs and electric small buses with an unladen weight not exceeding 3,000kg can be driven by a Class 3 or Class 3A licence holder.
The unladen weight threshold will remain at 2,500kg for ICE LGVs and small buses. Operators of such vehicles with an unladen weight exceeding 2,500kg will continue to require a Class 4 or Class 4P driving licence.
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The move is aimed at supporting Singapore's commitment to fully transit to clean energy vehicles by 2040, they said in a news release.
Under current regulations, Class 3 and 3A licence holders may only operate LGVs and small buses with an unladen weight not exceeding 2,500kg, with vehicles above this weight requiring a Class 4 or Class 4P driving licence.
The traffic police said it assessed that Class 3 and 3A licence holders can safely operate electric LGVs and electric small buses with an unladen weight not exceeding 3,000kg, given that they have "similar handling characteristics and dimensions as their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts with an unladen weight not exceeding 2,500kg".
Electric LGVs and electric small buses are typically 400kg to 500kg heavier than their ICE counterparts due to the weight of their batteries. These batteries are usually positioned beneath the vehicle floor, which creates a lower centre of gravity and enhances vehicle stability.
"The fundamental road-handling characteristics and dimensions of such electric vehicles (EVs) are similar to their ICE counterparts that Class 3 and 3A licence holders are currently permitted to drive," said the traffic police.
From Dec 15, Class 3 and Class 3A licence holders will be allowed to operate four models of electric LGVs and electric small buses with an unladen weight between 2,501kg and 3,000kg.
The models, which were identified based on industry requests, are Higer's H5C High Roof, Mercedes-Benz's eSprinter 320, Ford's F-150 Lightning and Joylong's EA5. The eSprinter 320 and F-150 Lightning are electric LGVs, the EA5 is an electric bus and the H5C High Roof can serve as both types of vehicles.
The traffic police said the change will take effect via an exemption order for these two groups of licence holders.
They added that the exemption order is intended to be an interim measure while it works on legislative amendments and system enhancements in 2026 to raise the unladen weight threshold across the board.
Following that, all electric LGVs and electric small buses with an unladen weight not exceeding 3,000kg can be driven by a Class 3 or Class 3A licence holder.
The unladen weight threshold will remain at 2,500kg for ICE LGVs and small buses. Operators of such vehicles with an unladen weight exceeding 2,500kg will continue to require a Class 4 or Class 4P driving licence.
Continue reading...