E-bike and e-coolers should be regulated like fireworks following a spate of fatal fires across the Uk according to a fire safety charity
The number of e-bike and e-scooter batteries has quadrupled with more than 190 injured since 2020. Faulty batteries in e-bikes and scooters can catch fire which in turn can lead to explosions , 600 centigrade in heat and quickly cause major blazes. The energy in a fully charged lithium ion battery can release stored energy that’s equivalent to explosives in five hand grenades
Sales for e-bikes are booming at around 165,000 per year according to the latest research. There are concerns that issues such as using the wrong charger or leaving the devices unattended overnight is leading to more incidents and injuries.
The charity is calling for similar legislation introduced to New York City in 2023 which requires scooters and e-bikes to meet standards set by third party battery experts.
00:00 This London Fire Brigade video of a house fire demonstrates the potential dangers posed by malfunctioning e-bike or scooter batteries, an item now common in thousands of UK households.
00:14 The number of e-bike and e-scooter batteries has quadrupled in the UK since 2020 with more than 190 people injured.
00:23 Now charity Electrical Safety First is calling for a change in legislation.
00:29 We would like that online marketplaces take responsibility for the products that they're selling on there that are being sold on their sites from third party sellers.
00:41 And one of the things we're also calling for is for the government to bring in legislation to ensure that they take responsibility for these products that are being sold on their sites.
00:53 The charity is calling for similar legislation introduced to New York City in 2023.
00:59 There, scooters and e-bikes need to meet standards set by third party battery experts.
01:06 So there's been 500 fires since 2020 and only this year we've seen eight people have died from e-scooter and e-bike fires.
01:17 The London Fire Brigade at the moment are being called out to an e-bike or e-scooter fire once every couple of days.
01:25 At the moment, these batteries, these lithium ion batteries only need to be self-certified, which means the manufacturers can just declare that the products meet all the safety standards.
01:36 And quite often this isn't happening.
01:38 And so what we'd like to see is that the manufacturers and the sellers of these e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries have to get the batteries mandatorily approved by a third party, such as a Tesla.
01:54 Sales for e-bikes are currently booming here in the UK, around 165,000 sold in the last year, according to the latest research.
02:03 But there are concerns that issues such as using the wrong charger or leaving the devices unattended overnight is leading to more serious injuries and incidents.
02:14 It's important that if you've got an e-bike or e-scooter that you only charge it with the charger that came with that e-bike or e-scooter.
02:22 And if you need to replace that charger, make sure you go back to the manufacturer and get an original charger.
02:28 One of the problems we found is these universal chargers.
02:32 We found 60 on online marketplaces for sale that didn't meet any safety standards.
02:38 And you can use these chargers with any battery.
02:41 They come with lots of different connectors and there's too much risk in you using the wrong charger with the wrong with the battery.
02:49 And then you've got a risk of it overcharging.
02:51 And that's when you've got the risk of thermal runaway.
02:54 It's quite important that we make sure that only safe product gets on the market and into people's homes.
Be the first to comment