Charity Electrical Safety First (ESF) has urged the Government to back its bill to introduce third party certification for e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries, after footage was released of an e-bike fire at Sutton Railway Station. The ESF says the bill would reduce the risk of unsafe batteries entering the market as well as setting standards for conversion kits and charging systems. It will be tabled in Parliament by Yvonne Fovargue MP.
Fire crews from Sutton fire station were called to the railway station during the early evening rush hour of March 21.
Sahab Singh, who bought an e-bike from an online marketplace four months ago, was waiting for a train on the platform when it burst into flames.
He said: “I never had any problems with the e-bike until the day of the fire. I was travelling to work in Crystal Palace. The bike started smoking on the train platform and then burst into flames. I feel lucky that I escaped and no one was injured. It was very scary.”
According to the London Fire Brigade, 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.
ESF said the issues surrounding the fires, “are complex and need to be tackled by all levels of government and industry”.
The charity said it is aware the Government has commissioned research to better understand the issue, “but speed is of vital importance in order to avoid further injuries and deaths. Preventing substandard and dangerous batteries from entering the market in the first place will significantly reduce the risk to the public.”
Lesley Rudd, chief executive of ESF, added: “At present manufacturers can self-declare their batteries are safe - our bill would end this. Third party certification has now been adopted by New York City and is already in place in the UK for other high-risk products such as fireworks and heavy machinery.
“The fires caused when these batteries fail are unique in their ferocity and can have devastating consequences. We urge the Government to back our bill in order to avoid further loss of life.”
Station officer Nigel McLachlan was at the scene of the incident in Sutton. He said: “The fire was really ferocious and happened extremely quickly. It would have been devastating if the timings had worked out differently. I hate to think of the tragic consequences it could have had. Thankfully no one was injured.
“This incident only serves to highlight that when buying these products, it's very important to purchase them from a reputable high street seller so you know the full history of the purchase. If items are bought from online marketplaces there is more risk that the bike is sold without the correct battery and charger which can lead to a catastrophic fire.”
> E-bike safety: What to avoid when buying an e-bike, battery or charger
Deputy commissioner Charlie Pugsley said: “Following this e-bike fire, we’re reminding businesses, including rail operators, to carefully consider their fire risk assessments and we’re encouraging transport operators to consider whether they have adequate safety measures in place should an e-bike fire happen on their service.
"Since we launched our #ChargeSafe campaign we’ve been calling for much-needed legislation for online marketplaces to ensure products like batteries, chargers and conversion kits are strictly regulated.
"All too often these batteries fail if they are used with the wrong charger, are faulty or modified, counterfeit or become damaged.”
