SINGAPORE - Three users of illegally-modified power-assisted bicycles appeared in a district court on Thursday following separate incidents where their batteries caught fire.In the first convictions of their kind, Singaporeans Isaac Choo Chi Kin, 24; Low Yi Hong, 31 and Lee Gee Kian, 42 were each fined between $3,000 and $3,500.
Choo, who said that he has been jobless since the Covid-19 outbreak started, received the highest fine of $3,500.Choo had left the vehicle to be charged for about an hour at a staircase landing of a Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3 block of flats later that day when his father told him that its battery had spontaneously combusted.
Mr Ng told the court that Lee's PAB had an additional wire extending from the motor, which allowed an additional battery to be connected. Since Feb 1, 2018, all PABs must be registered with the Land Transport Authority . Only e-bikes with EN15194 certification are approved for use. Another man who delivered the item then carried out some works to attach a cable to the PAB's internal circuitry so that the spare battery could be used with the vehicle.