E-bike Fires are on the Rise in the U.K : 9 Simple Safety Steps to Prevent Lithium-battery Fires
E-bike fires are on the rise in the United Kingdom. From the beginning of 2022 to April 2023, fire and rescue services across the UK responded to 329 fires associated with both e-bikes and e-scooters, and a total 565 fires since the start of 2020.
By September this year, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) had already tackled more fires than in the whole of 2022, responding to an incident every 2 days. 58 people were injured from these incidents, with 3 people sadly losing their lives.
As part of efforts to target the rise of e-bike fires in the UK, LFB has launched their #ChargeSafe Campaign, aiming to provide awareness of safe charging and storage practices and call attention to the fire risks associated with lithium-ion batteries commonly utilised in e-bikes.
Following incidents where fire crews have discovered delivery bags at the scene of fires, outreach work for this campaign has involved firefighters across London meeting delivery drivers, distributing leaflets at restaurants, takeaways and bars, and partnering with companies like Just Eat, Deliveroo and UberEats in order to provide safety information about the risks of e-bike fires.
LFB has also developed a new tool that enables homeowners to carry out a thorough evaluation of their residence, receiving tailored advice regarding its fire safety status and ways to improve it.
Using the advice provided in the #ChargeSafe campaign as inspiration, metroSTOR provides 9 simple safety steps to help prevent the risks of lithium-battery fires.
1. Don’t Block Fire Escapes
2. Maintain Smoke Alarms
3. Ensure Safe Storage Conditions
4. Only Buy Products That Meet Safety Standards
5. Avoid Retrofitting
6. Follow Safe Practice with Batteries
7. Monitor the Battery for Warning Signs
8. Avoid Overheating and Overcharging
9. Always Remain Vigilant
With a view to addressing the rise in e-bike fires across the UK, metroSTOR BIKE-E Storage & Charging Lockers have been developed to provide a weather-protected storage facility as a safe and secure alternative to the potentially hazardous internal storage of e-bikes and their batteries.
The easily accessible facility is ideal for residential environments with available external space, helping to establish safe containment away from respective buildings. Customisable for fire-resistant enclosure specification if the NFCC safe distance recommendations cannot be achieved due to site constraints, fire resistant cladding specifications integrate an internal fireboard lining system to ensure effective, proven containment in the unfortunate event of a fire.