“Tighter regulation needed on e-bike batteries” asserts Bureau Veritas

House fires involving batteries in e-bikes and e-scooters have become more frequent in recent years as these modes of transport, which are badged as eco-friendly and cost-effective, have increased in popularity.

With a spate of high-profile e-bike battery fires, including a recent house fire in Hampshire (which saw the blaze break through the bike’s cover and the car port in which it was being charged), it’s evident that more needs to be done to protect e-bike users and inform them of the accompanying safety concerns.

Recently, the London Fire Brigade reported on its website that firefighters had attended over 70 fires in the capital involving e-scooters and e-bikes during 2021, while Transport for London moved to ban e-bikes from its services after a fire episode on a London Underground train.

Due to the lack of adequate regulation surrounding Lithium-ion batteries, more and more e-bikes and e-scooters are being purchased online. However, these bikes and scooters may not meet even the most minimal of safety standards.

Bureau Veritas has commented: “Action must be taken immediately to regulate the manufacture and sale of e-bike batteries in order to prevent further fires and potential fatalities.”

Bridge technology

According to Jeff Ansell, deputy chief scientific advisor at Bureau Veritas, Lithium-ion battery systems as a whole should be viewed as a bridge technology on the way to safer and more ecologically-friendly options.

Consequently, the proper regulation and consideration of these systems, the potential dangers they present and their environmental impact must be addressed now in order to “prevent the legacy problems they will undoubtedly cause” in the future.

“e-bikes and e-scooters may experience a lot of wear and tear when being used, which can cause significant damage and degradation to a Lithium-ion battery pack,” observed Ansell. “This is particularly the case if the correct charging apparatus for the specific battery cells is not being used. Consequently, these batteries, which contain large stores of energy in quite an unstable system, can become extremely volatile. If they’re not properly manufactured, charged, used and regulated then the present situation is only going to worsen.”

Currently, the onus is ostensibly placed on e-bike users to keep themselves safe so it’s vitally important that those owners only use a manufacturer-approved charger for the product and cease using that product if it shows any signs of deterioration. Given the present cost-of-living crisis, it can be tempting to opt for cheaper versions available online, but this is nothing other than a false economy. User safety has to be the priority.

‘Roll collapse’

“Many manufacturers advise not to charge batteries to 100% capacity in order to prevent overheating,” continued Ansell. “Overcharging is one of the main causes of fire. Serious degradation of Lithium-ion cells, which is a condition known as ‘roll collapse’, can also occur when these batteries are undercharged or fully depleted. As such, use of the correct charging system for the specific batteries in use is of vital importance.”

While human error can form a significant part of the cannon of problems witnessed with the use of Lithium-ion battery systems, more must bedone by regulatory bodies and manufacturers to better educate users and regulate the products themselves, in turn ‘engineering out’ any problems at source.

As is the case with all growing or bridge technologies, and notably so those which purport to offer eco-friendly or sustainable solutions, there’s an urgency to rush them to market and spur the uptake of what’s constantly – and, according to Ansell, “falsely” – advertised as ‘green energy’.

“Given that we’re talking about such a potentially volatile and ecologically damaging device,” concluded Ansell, “more long-term solutions must be put in place to regulate Lithium-ion batteries, their manufacture, charging, use and, of course, the recycling of their toxic and environmentally damaging components at the end of their lifecycles.”