Hammersmith and Fulham Council (H&F) is calling for a ban on “dangerous” electric bike chargers due to the fire risk they present.
The call for increased regulation comes after Electrical Safety First, a consumer safety charity, carried out an investigation in which they examined mains chargers designed to charge batteries. These chargers can be purchased cheaply from popular online retailers such as Amazon Marketplace, eBay, Wish.com, and AliExpress.
However, it was found that many of these chargers fall below necessary safety standards for UK consumers. Many were deemed to be incompatible with the lithium-ion batteries that are found in e-bikes – batteries that could overheat if not charged correctly. Additionally, many of the plugs failed to contain an appropriate fuse and could cause “serious fires” if used with a faulty supply lead.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has also been warning e-bike users of the dangers of “faulty or incompatible” chargers and batteries. So far this year, LFB reported that there have been 57 fires related to e-bikes in London alone. This is a significant rise from the number of fires in 2021 (47), 2020 (13), and 2019 (10). In June 2022, a tower block fire in Shepherd’s Bush was caused by a “malfunctioning” e-bike battery. Further afield, in Bristol, a man died trying to escape a top-floor apartment after a fire was started by an e-bike.
Fire Investigation Officer, Matt Cullen, advised against buying substandard batteries and chargers: "We know that lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to failure if incorrect chargers are used, and this may be a contributing factor in some cases.
"We also know many of these incidents involve batteries which have been sourced on the internet, which may not meet the correct safety standards," he added.
The charity added that they found 59 such listings of dangerous and “illegal” chargers on the online retail platforms. Retailers subsequently removed or blocked the products after receiving information on their dangers from the charity.
Technical director of Electrical Safety First, Martyn Allen, said: “By the very nature of the batteries these dangerous charging devices are powering, it is a potential disaster waiting to happen. The process of charging e-bike batteries must be done with compatible and compliant chargers.
"These chargers we have identified for sale all pose an increased risk of fire and electric shock and should never have been available for sale to UK shoppers in the first instance.
"Given the frightening nature of lithium-ion battery fires, it is essential [that] the charging equipment doesn’t pose any unnecessary risk to the battery or user."
A spokesperson for Amazon said: “Safety is important to Amazon, and we want customers to shop with confidence on our stores. We have proactive measures in place to prevent suspicious or non-compliant products from being listed and we monitor the products sold in our stores for product safety concerns.
“When appropriate, we remove a product from the store, reach out to sellers, manufacturers, and government agencies for additional information, or take other actions.”
Following the rise in e-bike-related fires, calls for regulations to limit the sale of “dangerous” chargers and batteries have increased.
H&F Councillor and Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness, Frances Umeh, told the BBC: "We're calling on the government to ban the sale of these dangerous chargers.
"They pose an increased risk of fire to consumers as well as their neighbours. These products should never have been available for sale to UK shoppers in the first place."
A spokesperson for the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy added that the government’s “top priority” was to keep people safe:
"Goods sold in the UK, whether online or on the High Street, must meet some of the strictest safety laws in the world.
"Manufacturers must ensure all products supplied, including the batteries that power them, abide by product safety regulations before being placed on the market."
(Photograph from the London Fire Brigade)