E-bike and e-scooter batteries should be regulated like fireworks as they pose “unique” fire risks, a charity has said.
ESF recommends that the UK introduces mandatory third-party approval for the vehicles’ batteries.
This would force manufacturers to have their batteries approved by an accredited third party, such as a test lab.
Once approved, the products would then be supplied with a certificate proving they meet safety standards.
ESF Chief Executive Lesley Rudd said: “The huge amount of energy that is released over time when a battery bursts into flames is unlike other fires—in a matter of minutes a room can be decimated.
Deadly Fires
It comes after a flat fire caused by an e-bike that had been left charging overnight killed a mother and two young children in Cambridge earlier this month.Gemma Germeney, 31, died in the fire and her children, Lilly Peden, eight, and Oliver Peden, four, were taken to hospital where they both later died.
The children’s father, Scott Peden, survived but is critically ill in hospital with serious burn injuries.
The London Fire Brigade said last month that it had been called to one e-scooter or e-bike fire every two days this year.
‘Stricter Rules’ Needed
Lithium-ion battery fires have also become a major problem in New York City (NYC) in recent years, as more people adopt electric vehicles, especially e-bikes.Even as NYC mayor Eric Adams promotes e-bikes as a “convenient transportation” option for New Yorkers, he admitted that faulty and illegal devices are making their way into homes and streets, triggering fires and “putting lives at risk.”
The mayor has signed five bills into law to boost fire safety and to further regulate the sale of lithium-ion batteries in NYC. One of the bills—which came into force in March this year—prohibits the sale, lease, or rental of e-bikes and their batteries that do not meet recognized safety standards.
Ms. Rudd believes the UK should adopt regulation similar to the NYC rules.
She said: “Substandard versions of these products are claiming lives. Our recommendations are a first-of-their-kind to look at real solutions to tackling these fires and ensuring only safe products end up in people’s homes.
“Nothing is more precious than life and we want to ensure we do all we can to keep substandard batteries off the market.”
She also urged people to “only buy their e-bike or e-scooter from a reputable retailer and to use a compatible charger with the device to reduce the risk of a ferocious fire.”
A government spokesperson was quoted by the BBC as saying: “The Office for Product and Safety and Standards is working closely with the fire brigade to ensure product safety issues are properly assessed and action is taken to protect consumers.
“If manufacturers don’t comply with product safety regulations, appropriate enforcement action will be taken, such as ordering the removal of the product from the market.”
