E-Mobility Fire Risk in Social Housing: What landlords must do now

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E-Mobility Fire Risk in Social Housing

This metroSTOR webinar examined the growing fire risk associated with lithium-ion powered e-mobility devices in residential buildings and the proportionate actions housing providers should now consider. Chaired by Edward Jelliffe, the session featured fire risk specialist Graeme Warnell, who explored the rise in incidents involving e-bikes, scooters and mobility devices, and explained how lithium-ion battery failures and thermal runaway create different risks from conventional fires. The discussion also addressed the practical challenges landlords face when making defensible decisions in an area where legislation remains limited, including charging behaviour, device location within homes and communal areas, and the potential role of controlled charging locations or purpose built facilities in reducing risk.

E-Mobility Fire Risk Reduction Checklist

Download the E-Mobility Fire Risk Reduction Checklist to help your organisation review how well prepared it is to manage the growing risks associated with lithium-ion powered devices in residential buildings.

Designed for housing providers, the checklist provides a structured way to assess current policies, charging practices and building controls, helping teams identify potential risk areas and consider proportionate, defensible steps to protect residents. It can support discussions between fire safety teams, housing managers and senior leadership as organisations respond to this rapidly emerging safety challenge.

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E-Mobility Fire Risk in Social Housing – What Actions Should We Be Taking Now?

Lithium-ion powered e-bikes, mobility scooters and converted devices are increasingly common across council and housing association stock. However, clear and consistent guidance on how to manage the associated fire risk has not kept pace.

Asset, compliance and building safety teams are under growing pressure to act, often without clear regulation, consistent benchmarks or certainty about what proportionate action looks like in practice.

In this expert-led webinar, Graeme Warnell, a recognised specialist in EV and lithium-ion fire risk, will help landlords cut through the confusion and focus on practical, defensible actions that can be justified both now and in the future.

The session will examine when internal charging arrangements begin to present unacceptable risk, why lithium-ion batteries require different thinking from traditional electrical fires, and which immediate measures genuinely reduce risk. It will also explore when internal mitigation reaches its limit, where external storage and charging becomes the logical next step, and how decisions are likely to be viewed by insurers, investigators and regulators following an incident.

This webinar is designed to support measured, evidence-based decision-making, helping housing providers avoid both over-reaction and inaction while ensuring policies and investments stand up to future scrutiny.

About the event

With the use of e-bikes, mobility scooters and other lithium-ion powered devices increasing across social housing, this session provides a clear, practical overview of what actions housing providers should be taking now.

Attendees will gain clarity on proportionate risk management, understand which immediate steps reduce exposure in real terms, and learn how to assess when escalation is justified based on evidence rather than assumption.

Date: Thursday 26^th February 2026
Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm

Hosted by metroSTOR, this one-hour session is aimed at councils and housing associations responsible for managing fire risk across occupied residential buildings.

Who should attend:

Social landlords and housing managers
Asset, compliance and building safety teams
Local authority housing officers
Fire safety and risk professionals

What you will gain:

Clarity on when charging e-mobility devices inside flats becomes unsafe
Insight into why lithium-ion fires require different thinking, not just additional controls
Understanding of which immediate risk-reduction measures are effective, and which are not
Guidance on when external storage and charging becomes the appropriate escalation
Context on how decisions may be judged retrospectively by insurers and investigators

About the speakers:

Graeme Warnell
EV and Lithium-Ion Fire Risk Specialist
LinkedIn: Graeme Warnell

Graeme is a recognised specialist in electric vehicle and lithium-ion battery fire risk, advising organisations on proportionate, evidence-based approaches to risk management. His work focuses on fire behaviour, incident response and post-incident investigation, helping organisations understand how decisions will be scrutinised after an event and how to put defensible measures in place before one occurs.