Fire chiefs warn of growing risk of e-bike ‘explosions’

E-Bike Explosion

E-bikes have been blamed for surging numbers of battery fires in London, as fire chiefs warn against plans to legalise more powerful models.

A total of 149 fires caused by exploding e-bike batteries were recorded by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) in 2023, an increase of 71pc from 2022, according to figures provided to The Telegraph.

Three people died as a result of the incidents while around 60 people were injured.

At least a further 40 e-bike fires have been recorded so far this year.

The figures have prompted fire chiefs to warn that the two-wheelers, as well as similarly-powered e-scooters, are now the fastest-growing cause of blazes in the capital.

The fires are typically triggered when the lithium battery of an e-bike becomes damaged or is charged using the wrong equipment, said Charlie Pugsley, the LFB’s deputy commissioner.

He said: “Growing e-bike ownership is a good thing if they help people get around and it supports our climate objectives.

“But what really worries us is the speed and severity of these battery fires when they break out.

“Each one has the potential to risk people’s lives in the home.”

In December last year, the LFB revealed how a mother and son were forced to jump from the first-floor windows of their home in Ilford, east London, after an e-bike that had been left charging overnight burst into flames indoors.

Both survived but had to be treated in hospital, while large sections of the house’s first floor and roof were destroyed.

The amount of energy packed into lithium batteries makes them particularly dangerous when they explode, leading to fierce flames and billowing smoke that fills the area within seconds, Mr Pugsley said.

“We’ve seen shocking examples of people hanging out their windows because they can’t get out of their flat,” he added.

As part of its #chargesafe campaign, the LFB is now advising households not to charge e-bikes when they are sleeping, to avoid placing them next to exits or stairways that could block escape routes and to always use the correct charger, among other things. Where possible, households have been advised to store them outside or in outbuildings.

However, Mr Pugsley raised concerns that the fire trend could be made worse by the growing spread of illegal e-bikes with more powerful motors and batteries, as well as DIY conversion kits that can lead people to charge batteries with the wrong equipment.

Last week, The Telegraph reported on claims that illegal e-bikes capable of reaching speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour have become widespread due to a lack of enforcement by police.

Despite the legal limit for e-bikes being 250 watts of power, a string of models with capacities of up to 2,000 watts are openly sold online, described as “road legal”.

Mr Pugsley said: “These illegal e-bikes are a big concern for us because, with that much power, you’ve got even more energy stored in the battery.

“We’d also be concerned from a road safety point of view because I work in central London and when I’m on my commute home in a 20-mile-an-hour zone I’m often overtaken by e-bikes that are non-compliant and have been modified to go faster.

“In the vast majority of cases, it is not the fault of the consumer because they have bought the bikes in good faith.

“But obviously for those who buy the motorbike-style ones that is a deliberate choice.”

He added that proposals recently set out by the Government to increase the legal limit of e-bike power to 500 watts should not go ahead until more research had been done around the safety implications of such a move.

“We’re in the process of finalising our response [to the Government consultation],” Mr Pugsley said. “But what I can say is that we would have concerns about increasing the capacity of batteries without actually having seen the outcome of government research being conducted elsewhere.

“I think there’s still more we need to know about the possible risks before we start increasing capacity.”

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