Over 130 e-bike and e-scooter battery fires in just over a year

The substantial soar in incidents arrived as the Government arrived less than tension to introduce principles on the harmless storage of the cars in housing affiliation and council-owned homes.

The transportation using lithium-ion batteries – which are inclined to overheating if incorrectly charged – have been banned from all parliamentary properties.

E-scooters can not be taken on the Tube or London buses subsequent a number of alarming blazes.

But there are fears at the lack of official hearth protection advice for households, irrespective of e-scooter batteries currently being blamed for at minimum 5 residential fires in London this calendar year – in Brixton, Leytonstone, Newham, Willesden and West Drayton.

Figures acquired by the Standard from the London Hearth Brigade display it was known as to 104 fires involving lithium batteries last year – 44 from e-bikes, 28 from e-scooters and 32 other incidents, like cell telephones, laptops and instances in which the e-scooter or e-bike was not discovered.

This was four instances as lots of as the 26 recorded in 2020. There have been a further 29 lithium battery fires this year, such as 17 e-bikes.

Lib-Dem MP Tim Farron and London Assembly member Hina Bokhari have penned to fireplace security minister Lord Greenhalgh urging a community protection campaign all around the harmless storage and charging of the batteries, and discouraging their invest in from disreputable suppliers.

Ms Bokhari, a member of the assembly’s fire, resilience and unexpected emergency setting up committee, claimed: “Unless motion is taken I concern that in advance of prolonged there will be a horrific fireplace in a residence or block of flats involving the loss of lives.

“If Parliament decides e-scooters and e-bikes are a fireplace threat inside their personal buildings that really should be a highly effective wake up phone that greater security steps are required everywhere. Parliament is protecting alone – it should now consider measures to be certain it protects the general public.”

MPs and their workers have been explained to: “E-bikes, e-scooters and/or removable battery packs have to not be introduced into any parliamentary developing for charging or any other cause. This is to reduce the probable fire chance poster by e-scooter or e-bikes.”

Transport for London banned e-scooters from the Tube final December. Mayor Sadiq Khan explained e-scooters and e-unicycles have been banned from the new City Hall and all fireplace brigade properties.

A London Hearth Brigade spokeswoman explained: “The brigade has by now issued various urgent protection warnings over considerations about a spike in fires involving electric powered bikes and private e-scooters and regularly highlights incidents and concerns safety information to hold individuals safe if they personal 1.

“Electric bikes and scooters are frequently saved and billed in escape routes or communal places so when a hearth does manifest, escape routes are blocked which quickly will make an now severe predicament considerably far more scary, so we’re urging people to be aware of exactly where they are storing them.

“Many of the fires we are seeing contain batteries which have been sourced on the world wide web, which may well not satisfy the right safety expectations. We know that lithium-ion batteries are prone to failure if incorrect chargers are applied, so it is critical to often use the accurate charger for the product or service and obtain an official a person from a reputable seller.”

Home Office environment minister Rachel Maclean, in a penned reply to Mr Farron past month, explained it planned to update fire protection information “over the up coming year” along with modifications demanded by the Grenfell tower inquiry suggestions.

A Section for Transport spokesman explained: “The challenges affiliated with lithium-ion battery packs in e-bikes are properly understood and various technical actions are in spot throughout the lifetime cycle of an e-bicycle lithium ion battery to ensure their safe and compliant use.

“Regulations in area to guarantee their security incorporate: safeguards at the design stage, screening of entire battery packs and crystal clear necessities for battery utilization to be bundled in the e-bike consumer manual, together with unique facts about charging.”