SINGAPORE: A man has been charged with causing a death by performing a negligent act after he allegedly used an incompatible charger with a personal mobility device (PMD) battery.
A fire broke out and Putra Nur Iman Muhammad Danial Zhang, 21, is now accused of committing the offence on March 9, 2022.
Nuratiqah Zahari was killed in the incident, but court documents did not disclose how she died or where the fire broke out.
Putra was charged on March 27 and his case has been adjourned to April 24.
For causing a death by performing a negligent act, an offender can be jailed for up to two years and fined.
The Straits Times earlier reported that according to experts, PMD-linked fires can be caused by overcharging faulty or modified batteries, or using substandard or non-compatible chargers.
Most of the fires occurred when the PMDs were either being charged or shortly after.
Electric current either flows into the battery (charging) or out (discharging). During the process, heat develops and needs to be dissipated.
If a wrong charger or a non-compatible electric motor in a PMD is used, the charging/discharging current could be higher than the recommended values for a particular battery.
This may cause overheating, resulting in a fire.
In its annual statistics report released in February, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that in 2024, there were 67 fires involving active mobility devices (AMDs) including PMDs, power-assisted bicycles (PABs) and personal mobility aids (PMAs).
This was an increase of 21.8 per cent, as 55 of such fires broke out in 2023. This was the second consecutive year that more AMD fires were reported.
SCDF also said that AMD fires remain an area of concern, especially those that break out in homes. There were 44 AMD fires in homes in 2024, nine more than in 2023.
The Land Transport Authority said on Jan 22 that non-compliant AMDs have led to six deaths since 2019.
SCDF’s report said PABs were the most common type of AMDs involved in fires, with 31 cases in 2024 and 32 in 2023.
The number of PMDs involved in fires rose from 18 to 25, and that of PMAs more than doubled from five to 11.
When asked why AMD fires continued to rise, an SCDF spokesperson told ST that a significant number of incidents involved modified devices.
These included those with additional batteries beyond the device’s original design, which voids its safety certification.
To prevent AMD fires, SCDF urges users to purchase only devices with the UL2272 certification from original manufacturers or official retailers.
Devices should not be left charging unattended for long periods of time. They should not be placed near combustible materials or along escape routes. - The Straits Times/ANN
