We have seen an increased report on fires caused by electric vehicles, e-scooters and e-bikes batteries overheating/exploding.
The link below, shows a battery exploding; The fire service state the house fire started because of the escooter battery:
House fire due to e-scooter
The link below, highlights Two housemates “lost everything” after an e-scooter battery exploded triggering a fire in their apartment:
Family lose everything in apartment fire
A recent post on social media, highlighted that during a health & safety inspection, an e-scooter on charge, via a cable reel, and left adjacent to a fire exit.
We wanted to share this post:
Of all electric vehicles, e-scooters and e-bikes are the most commonly involved in fires, some of which have sadly already caused fatalities.
By virtue of the fact that they are outdoor portable vehicles with little or no protection for the battery packs, they are more susceptible to physical damage to the battery packs, which is one of the causes of thermal runaway. Another reason is that there is a proliferation of suspect cheap imports with unsafe batteries or chargers. Some cheaper, low-quality chargers, or the use of a charger not designed for the purpose, can overcharge the batteries which is another cause of failure and thermal runaway. Employers have no way of knowing if privately owned ‘light electric vehicles’ such as scooters or e-bikes are safe or not.
The main risk issue is the speed, temperature, and behaviour of Li-ion battery fires. A recent test study in Germany simulated fires on trains using (real) e-bikes by heating the batteries until they went into thermal runaway and then recording the results. In a confined space, the fires took just 45 seconds to reach a peak temperature of 900 degrees C!
Li-ion fires are extremely dangerous in confined spaces, giving off highly toxic smoke and can ignite combustible materials several metres away, due to the flaring of the burning gases. They are also very difficult to extinguish without the right type of equipment.
So, if you encourage or allow staff to travel to work on e-bikes and e-scooters, you need to find a safe storage and charging area in a fire resistant structure, away from any combustible materials and other vehicles or people. NEVER allow them to be charged within an escape route or confined area.
NOTE – in the UK currently it is illegal to ride a private e-scooter on roads, cycle tracks or pavements, so it’s not a suitable way to travel to work in any case. Only approved rental scooters can be used on the road at the moment – but this may change next year.