E-bike battery safety

A number of concerns have been raised in recent years regarding the safety of lithium-ion batteries, in particular fires involving personal light electric vehicles such as e-bikes. London Fire Brigade alone reported attending 143 e-bike fires along with 36 blazes involving e-scooters in 2023.

This concern led the government to commission research and take action to enhance product legislation and provide guidance for these owners, users, manufacturers and distributors of vehicles.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) recently published the findings of independent research that was commissioned on the causes of the safety risks and hazards associated with PLEV batteries and chargers. The report makes a number of recommendations and examines a range of causes both through laboratory testing and by analysing real-world cases.

The report notes that, where it was possible to identify the type of equipment, over three quarters of real-world fires involved conversion kits rather than original equipment manufacturer-made e-bikes.

Also, there was a higher level of incidents where the vehicle owner had purchased a separate battery or charger, and there was evidence to suggest that some consumers use incompatible chargers rated at up to twice the voltage of the battery involved in the fire. Suggesting that mixing batteries and chargers that are not supplied together increases the likelihood of safety incidents.

Alongside the report, the OPSS also published an update on regulatory activity which identifies the next steps they intend to take.

The full research report and regulatory activity update can be found on the Gov.UK website.

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