Burning questions - Are e-bike batteries a fire hazard?

After a rash of deadly fires caused by e-bike batteries, Simon Fellows asks whether cyclists are taking their lives in their hands every time they plug in?

- Simon Fellows

"Searching for the trapped woman, we were met with multiple explosions from the lithium-ion battery packs. The fire was everywhere, there were hot spots all over the ceiling and the temperature was so intense I could feel it through my gloves.”

This is the horrifying testimony from London firefighter Paul Fergus about an apartment fire in the Kilburn area in August 2023, which was found to be caused by malfunctioning e-scooter batteries. A woman trapped in the apartment was thankfully rescued and – this time – no one died. Such accounts are particularly concerning to me as someone with two e-bikes in my home, my wife’s Liv Vall E+ Pro and my Specialized Creo. Both are kept in the house, though we’re nervous about charging them unattended. Is our caution justified? After all, even the UK Department for Transport’s latest guidance on e-bike safety concedes that all lithium batteries pose some risk.

“Last year in London we had 155 e-bike and e-scooter battery fires,” says Charlie Pugsley, assistant commissioner for fire safety, London Fire Brigade. “Sadly, it was 2023’s fastest-growing fire trend, which took three lives and injured 60.” That’s almost a fire every other day, just in the Capital. Figures for the whole of the UK are difficult to verify because record-keeping differs between regions, but it’s reasonable to assume this is an issue nationwide.