Cambridgeshire e-bike business hopes better information will help with safety issues
It comes amid calls for better regulation into e-bikes and e-scooters
A business in Cambridgeshire believes knowing more about the dangers e-bikes pose has changed his approach with customers this year.
It comes as our investigation has led to calls for better regulation of e-bikes, e-scooters and their lithium ion batteries after a fire caused by an e-bike in Cambridge killed a woman and two children last year.
Those calls were renewed by Electrical Safety First (ESF) after several puppies had to be rescued when an e-bike burst into flames inside a home in Bristol last week.
And during our investigation, ESF told us that in the last 18 months from December 2023, battery fires were reported in more than 100 parliamentary constituencies.
Jamie McAlley's the director of Fenland eBikes:
"People need to be convinced that they're buying from a retailer that's been around long enough to know what they're doing and with the background to know they're buying something that conforms to the relevant standards for the production of a quality electric bike," he said.
"If people are correctly informed, there is nothing to worry about.
"It's a case of following safety practices and being careful about how you handle and look after a lithium ion battery."
E-bike advice can 'make a difference'
Jamie hopes providing more information about e-bikes will help raise awareness of what people are buying.
"I think customers will want to come and see the product; they will want to ensure servicing and maintenance are carried out on electric bikes, which is one of the ways of preventing problems from occurring in the first place.
"It's (information on e-bike safety) made me think about providing a bit of advice as well when somebody comes to try an electric bike, giving them information on how to safely store the bike, how to charge it.
"It's things like this that I think make a difference."
In December, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "There are things that the Government is doing to look at the safety of lithium batteries and how they should be charged."