SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will investigate a battery fire incident involving a Tower Transit-operated electric bus at a motor workshop in the Sin Ming industrial area on Wednesday (March 25).
The lithium-ion battery had been removed from the Yutong electric bus when the incident occurred, LTA told The Straits Times.
The vehicle was not damaged, a Tower Transit spokesman said.
It was at the Yutong Service Station at 160 Sin Ming Drive as servicing and repair works are handled by the manufacturer’s workshop under warranty.
LTA will investigate the incident with Yutong, Tower Transit Singapore and battery maker CATL.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told ST that it was alerted to the fire on March 25 at around 12.50pm. The fire, which occurred in the workshop on the ground floor of the industrial building, was put out with two water jets.
An SCDF spokesperson added that there were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
There are 20 Yutong electric buses in the public transport fleet as at March.
Another 100 Yutong electric buses are expected to be deployed by the end of 2026 as part of a larger roll-out of electric buses in Singapore, as the Republic ramps up its efforts to decarbonise land transport.
As at the end of February, there were 830 electric buses in Singapore, out of a total population of 18,371 public and private buses.
CATL, based in Ningde, China, is the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) battery supplier, commanding a 39.2 per cent global market share as at 2025. Its clients include BMW, Tesla and Toyota.
Amrit Mirchandani Changaroth, a mechanical engineer who is certified to handle high-voltage EV batteries, said the incident is likely a case of thermal runaway, which occurs when the temperature in the battery cells rises uncontrollably.
He said that possible causes include chemical instability within the battery cells that caused self-ignition; the battery pack being damaged in a motor accident or mishandled during maintenance work; or a malfunction in the battery management system that caused the battery to be either overcharged or discharged beyond the system’s threshold.
When a high-voltage battery is removed from an EV, it should be placed in an isolated work area rather than near other – potentially flammable – objects, Changaroth said.
A picture taken after the Sin Ming Drive fire shows a battery placed close to other objects.
Thermal runaway can occur at any point without warning, Changaroth said, adding: “By the time smoke or popping noises are noticed, it is already too late.” - The Straits Times/ANN
