Brompton is backing a campaign by charity Electrical Safety First (ESF) that would require third party certification for e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries, reducing the risk of potentially dangerous batteries entering the market.
The manufacturer, which produces around 100,000 bikes every year, has formally backed ESF's Ten Minute Rule Bill which will be tabled in Parliament by Yvonne Fovargue MP this spring.
The bill would also seek standards for conversion kits and charging systems, as well as mandatory markings on lithium batteries to better inform households they are not suitable to be disposed of in the general waste.
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ESF earlier this month urged the government to back its bill after the London Fire Brigade (LFB) released footage of an e-bike fire at Sutton Railway Station. Fire crews were called to the station in the early evening on March 21 after an e-bike bought from an online marketplace burst into flames on the platform.
According to the LFB, e-bike and e-scooter fires are the fastest growing fire trend in the capital, with 31 e-bike fires and 9 e-scooter fires from January 1 to April 4.
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Lesley Rudd, chief executive of ESF, said: “The support for our bill by Brompton Bicycle demonstrates how reputable manufacturers want to protect shoppers and their industry from the bad operators in this space who may be producing substandard batteries. We are very pleased to have their support.
“Our bill will better protect the public, protect good businesses and weed out bad operators producing dangerous batteries that put people’s lives at risk. We urge the government to adopt our bill when it is tabled.”
Brompton has joined 45 other organisations also backing the call for new rules, including the National Fire Chiefs Council, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, and the Children's Burns Trust.
Will Butler-Adams, CEO at Brompton Bicycle, said: “We need to get more people on bikes, it’s good for your health and good for our planet, and above all else it makes us happy.
“Electric bikes are allowing more people to enjoy the fun and freedom of cycling, but unfortunately there are a number of serious incidents coming from unregulated e-bikes and conversion kits that could jeopardise this momentum and put people off getting back on a bike.
“If we can ensure that all electric bikes follow the same stringent testing and checks as our own, then the future for electric bikes is bright, and we can bring back cycling for generations to come.”
Speaking to The Telegraph, he added: "We've got poor quality stuff coming into the UK and if we're not careful, that will affect the whole momentum of light electric vehicle transport, which would be an absolute chronic shame.
"We trust that an electric car is well made, the standards are well adhered to. And we did have some fires in the very early days of electric cars, but they've gone because the standards, the controls, the regulation is such that now we trust them. There are too many examples of e-bikes, e-scooters and light electric vehicles hurting people and scaring people.
"Then suddenly you can't carry them on public transport, you can't store them in buildings, and it all snowballs into a world of fear."
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