Peterborough house fire survivor backs calls for stronger e-bike regulation
Electrical Safety First have put forward a draft Bill to Government expressing concern over e-bike safety
A dad from Peterborough is backing calls for tighter regulation of e-bikes, after his home burned down from a fire caused by a charging e-bike earlier this year.
Eddie MacGregor, from Orton Goldhay, was on a family trip out when he got the phone call saying his home was engulfed in flames.
Since finding out it was due to an e-bike left charging, Eddie's been spreading awareness about the dangers of the technology.
'These batteries that e-bikes use don't just catch fire, they explode. It goes from nothing to a raging inferno in a matter of moments', Eddie said.
'Don't buy an e-bike second-hand for a start. Don't buy it without a charger, that's a big no. Make sure you buy from a reputable dealer and avoid the lower end of the market.'
'The bike itself was complete as it should be, but we bought a new charger for it. There's lots of chargers available online. The one we bought appeared to be compatible but clearly there was an issue with it.'
A discussion of the dangers in parliament?
Eddie's renewed appeal comes after the charity Electrical Safety First announced it sent a new draft Bill to parliament, encouraging MPs to discuss the dangers of e-bikes and e-scooters.
Electrical Safety First (ESF) also backs Cambridgeshire Fire service's calls for a law change on chargers to prevent what happened to Eddie, and to a family in Cambridgeshire where three people lost their lives, from happening again.
Giuseppe Capanna is a product safety engineer at the charity:
"It does take time to put protocols in place and luckily, there are standards that deal with these things but that would need to be looked at by a committee to make sure we have the correct system in place," he said.
"It's not easy (to change the law) but it's one thing we need; we cannot carry on with people dying and fires happening."
What is the government Bill ESF are putting forward?
The “Safety of Electric-Powered Micromobility Vehicles and Lithium Batteries Bill”, will be put to MPs selected in Westminster’s annual Bill Ballot draw on November 16.
ESF says the Bill would propose "sweeping, but essential, changes to how e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries are regulated across the whole of the UK" and help prevent future deaths.
The charity reported nine deaths in the UK this year relating to e-bike and e-scooter fires, and says 150 MPs have had a fire linked to these vehicles in their constituency since 2020.
There are three main changes ESF wants to make if the Bill is backed by MPs:
- Mandate e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries to undergo third party approval before coming to market – regulating them in the same way as fireworks;
- Impose a temporary ban on the sale of ‘universal chargers’ until measures are put in place that ensure the safe compatibility of batteries and chargers;
- Introduce clearer markings on lithium-ion batteries to make it clearer to households that they are not suitable to be disposed of in the general waste;
- Introducing a communications protocol to ensure the battery and charger can talk, similar to mobile phones, to reduce the risk of fires due to overcharging from incorrect voltage.
"If they need a replacement, go back to the manufacturer"
[Cambridgeshire Fire Service has written to the coroner](https://planetradio.co.uk/greatest-hits/cambridgeshire/news/cambridgeshire-fire-e-bike-regulations/){:target=_blank}, calling for better regulation of online sales for chargers.
The service raised concern "relating to conversion kits and charges that can be used or incorrectly matched with battery packs, increasing the risk of fires".
It also wants more people to be educated on safely using private light electric vehicles in the home
Mr Cappana added: "We would want a temporary ban on universal chargers and encourage people only to use the charger that come with the battery, e-bike or e-scooter and if they need a replacement battery or charger, go back to the original manufacturer."