Battery expert issues warning after fatal Cambridge flat fire
He feels more needs to be done to educate people on e-bike battery safety
A lithium battery expert has warned e-bike owners to be careful of the dangers they can pose after a fatal fire in Cambridge.
Gemma Germeney alongside 8-year-old Lilly Peden and 4-year-old Oliver Peden died following the fire on Sackville Close last Friday.
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed an e-bike was the "probable cause" of the fire following an investigation.
Paul Christensen, founding director of Lithium Ion Safety, advises on different aspects of the battery’s safety, said:
“If an e-bike battery is overcharged, chemical reactions start that produce lots of heat and gas.
“That gas is explosive and toxic; if it ignites, you get rocket-like flames but if it doesn’t ignite immediately but fills the room, you get a vapour cloud explosion which is violent.
“These can happen within seconds of the first signs the battery is in thermal runaway, so you may have no time to escape your home.”
Mr Christensen said he’s disappointed with the government’s actions to improve e-bike safety and is calling for a national campaign to teach people the risks caused by e-bikes and e-scooters.
"We need a nationwide education campaign"
“We have no control over any of these devices that are imported, so you have to be very careful,” he said.
“The sad thing is that every one of the fires and explosions that have caused fatalities, injuries and wrecked homes and lives could have been prevented if people are aware of these guidelines.
“We need a nationwide education campaign and our government is failing in its duty which is to keep its citizens safe.”
A spokesperson for the government’s Office for Product Safety and Standards said manufacturers must ensure the batteries that power their products “abide by product safety regulations before being placed on the market”.
Mr Christensen has given the following safety tips for those with e-bikes or e-scooters:
- Always buy the charger for the battery with the e-bike
- Never buy an e-bike or any lithium-ion battery device that requires you to turn it off when it’s fully charged
- Do not charge your e-bike indoors - if you have no choice but to charge indoors, do not charge when you’re asleep or away from the building
- Do not charge anywhere where there’s material that can burn, in or near an escape route or if you hear a hopping or hissing, or see any smoke, do not attempt to deal with it yourself
- Every single chemistry (for a lithium-ion battery) requires its own charging protocol and its own charger