North Yorkshire firefighters issue safety warning over e-bikes and scooters
A new report from Electrical Safety First says some lithium-ion batteries contain the same explosive energy as six grenades
There are calls for the government to impose stricter controls on the sales of batteries for e-bikes and e-scooters - after a series of battery fires that have caused injuries and in some cases, deaths.
Charity Electrical Safety First (ESF) wants to see legislation introduced that requires batteries for e-bikes and e-scooters to be regulated like fireworks and heavy machinery.
The recommendation, in a new report, titled Battery Breakdown, would see batteries for e-bikes and e-scooters need third-party approval before being placed on the UK market - a requirement the charity says is already introduced in New York City.
ESF estimates a fully charged e-bike battery can release a similar amount of stored energy as the amount of TNT (an explosive) contained in 6 hand grenades.
They say, when batteries fail a process called thermal runaway occurs, which releases a large amount of energy over a longer period of time, resulting in fire and toxic gas emissions, a bit like a firework.
They point out there have been a number of incidents where e-bikes have caught fire leading to serious injury and deaths.
Although national figures are not currently monitored, ESF estimates that there have been eight deaths so far this year as a result of e-bike fires.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
Adam Farrow from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue told us: "They are predominately, lithium ion batteries which'll you'll find in lots of other devices such as your phone and laptops, children's toys etc, but these are much bigger. So the bigger the battery, the more risk there is."
"They are charged in areas which might be an escape route, so maybe in a hallway or near the staircase and if there was an issue with the battery, if there was a fault or it overheated, you are basically blocking an escape route out."
He has this advice for owners: "Soon as they are charged, take them off charge, if there is any damage to the batteries if they've been used and clattered around the place and bounced off curbs, be mindful the battery might be damaged and any kind of charging might make it overheat."