A series of events have been held across London to deliver potentially life-saving safety advice to people who use e-bikes and e-scooters in the capital.
It comes as the capital has seen a spate of e-bike and e-scooter fires in recent days, indicating the urgent need for action to make the vehicles safer.
E-bikes and e-scooters – particularly those that have been modified - are one of London’s fastest growing fire risks. Since the beginning of 2023, there has been a fire, on average, once every couple of days. Some of these fires have been devastating to those involved, destroying lives and livelihoods. Last Friday, the Brigade received 45 calls to an e-scooter alight on an eight-floor balcony in Battersea. Then in the early hours of Monday, five people escaped a house fire in Hackney caused by an e-bike battery failure. There were around 10 other e-bike fires over a five-day period.
In the spring, London Fire Brigade partnered with London Trading Standards to hold events in some of the city’s busiest high streets, targeting boroughs with a higher concentration of fires involving e-bikes, including Tower Hamlets, Southwark and Newham.
Firefighters were directly engaging with riders outside places such as fast-food restaurants, where riders often congregate to wait for orders, offering advice around how to safely store and charge their e-bike or e-scooter. Trading Standard Officers from the local authority, as well as product safety engineer Giuseppe Capanna, from Electrical Safety First, also joined to provide safety advice specifically about riders’ vehicles, as well as gain a better understanding of the most common types of e-bikes being used.
This collaborative work has been supported by funding from the Office for Product Safety Standards, following a successful bid by London Trading Standards, in order to raise awareness of the fire risks with e-bike and e-scooter batteries as well as conversion kits and chargers.
London Fire Brigade Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Prevention & Protection, Richard Field, said: “These events across London have been a great opportunity for our crews and partners to deliver crucial safety advice to those who need to hear it most.
“Over the course of these engagements, we’ve spoken to hundreds of riders, offering them our #ChargeSafe campaign flyers, including versions translated into multiple languages such as Bengali, Urdu and Spanish.
“We learnt that a vast number of riders are using modified e-bikes. While it was encouraging to learn about some of the safe storage and charging practices riders have adopted at home, we know that there is an increased fire risk, in particular with bikes that have had battery packs fitted. Along with the incidents that we are now unfortunately routinely attending, this activity reinforces how vital events like these are.”
Stuart Radnedge, London Trading Standards regional co-ordinator, said: “This has been an excellent way of advising e-bike users about how to safely charge as well as avoid some of the risks when shopping online. At this time, we cannot be confident that products sold online, such as batteries and chargers, meet the correct safety standards.
“I’d like to thank all of the trading standards officers who have supported this initiative which is helping to make London safer. In addition, this project has enhanced relationships with the partners involved to ensure additional safety projects will take place in the future.”
Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, said: “Gig economy workers are often difficult to reach, so it has been invaluable to share life-saving safety advice with them in person all across London. Many of the bikes we came across during this event were converted, confirming that DIY kits are highly attractive to this group.
“Because of the accessible price point of a conversion kit versus a fully manufactured e-bike, many gig workers will turn to them as part of their work - but at present there are no safety standards for these kits. They are often sold incomplete, by third-party sellers online, with a motor, a handful of wires and a controller, missing the most important components: a battery and charger. If a consumer purchases an incompatible pair, the risk of a fire can be severe. It is vital safety standards for conversion kits are introduced to ensure the risk from substandard kits sold online is tackled.”
More recently, the Brigade has attended two of Deliveroo’s Rider Roadshows, in Ealing and at Soho Fire Station, offering a prime opportunity to speak to riders directly about the fire risks.
As part of the #ChargeSafe campaign, the Brigade has been calling for increased regulation of online marketplaces. The Product Regulation & Metrology Bill is a really welcome step in the drive to reduce the worrying risk of e-bike and e-scooter fires. The Bill should decrease the chance of customers being exposed to buying unsafe products, such as lithium batteries, chargers and conversion kits, which, when they do not meet the UK safety standards, can be extremely dangerous.
The Brigade is providing data and expertise to Government in order to ensure the Bill is as strong as possible.