OPSS issues e-bike and e-scooter battery fire safety campaign and conversion kit guidance
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has published its Buy Safe, Be Safe campaign material on e-bike and e-scooter fires, and added a link to new regulatory guidance on the product safety requirements for e-bike conversion kits placed on the UK market.
Fire risk from lithium-ion batteries
OPSS says most e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries are safe when used correctly. However, lithium-ion batteries can cause serious fires, particularly where they are poor quality, damaged or used improperly. It reports an increase in fires linked to these batteries in the UK and worldwide, some of which have been fatal.
According to OPSS, such fires can start without warning, spread rapidly and are very hard to extinguish. Its advice is that people should not try to put them out themselves, but leave the area or building quickly and call 999.
Enforcement and guidance for businesses
OPSS and local regulators identify and remove unsafe and non-compliant e-bikes, e-scooters, batteries and chargers from the market. OPSS has previously banned certain unsafe e-bike batteries from the UK market, including affected UPP-branded batteries. Products subject to a report, alert or recall can be searched on the Product Safety Reports, Recalls and Alerts website.
The new guidance on e-bike conversion kits clarifies the product safety requirements for those kits when they are placed on the UK market. Manufacturers, importers and suppliers in this area may wish to read it.
Use on public roads
OPSS also notes that e-scooters can be used on private land but should not be used on public roads unless they are part of an official rental trial. The Department for Transport has separate detailed guidance on battery safety for e-cycle, e-bike and e-scooter users.
Source: Office for Product Safety and Standards · Image: Pixabay