Guidance

E-cycle and e-scooter batteries: managing fire risk for premises

Published 1 February 2024

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Fire and rescue services have made government aware of rising numbers of incidents involving the lithium batteries used in e-cycles and e-scooters. This guidance aims to inform premises managers of the latest guidance available and to set out options around assessing and managing these risks.

With their ability to enable more people to cycle, or to cycle further, e-cycles are an important element of the government’s ambition for active travel to make a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of the transport sector. Future regulations may in time also enable privately owned e-scooters to be used legally on public roads.

E-scooters, as an example of micromobility more generally, have had a global impact in recent years on personal mobility. Evidence from the e-scooter trials evaluation indicates that e-scooters can provide access to new transport options, with people from ethnic minority groups and individuals on low incomes more likely to use rental e-scooters regularly.

Where mode shift from car to e-scooter is achieved, it is expected that users could gain physical health benefits. The evaluation found that cars (privately owned or taxis) were the second most common mode of transport replaced by rental e-scooters, after walking. Qualitative findings also showed that some users experienced mental health benefits, by gaining a sense of independence and freedom from using an e-scooter.

Members of the public, including those who ride and do not ride an e-scooter have reported the following perceived benefits:

• speed of travel (particularly when compared with walking)
• convenience
• reduced environmental impact compared to other modes (such as cars)

So while safety remains the priority, it is also important that responses to fire risks are appropriately targeted, effective and proportionate, so that the potential of these forms of transport is not unnecessarily limited.

This guidance aims to provide premises managers with tools, resources and options around risk management while safeguarding the utility of these modes of transport for users. It is not a legal compliance document and does not replace existing regulations or the need to comply with them. It is not intended to be exhaustive and is provided on an informative basis only.

Recommended resources

Recommended resources include:

Guidance from the Home Office

Fire safety: guidance for those with legal duties – this is a collection of documents on fire safety law and guidance for those who have a legal duty for fire safety in a relevant building to help them meet those duties.

Guidance from fire and rescue services

Premises managers should consult a competent fire risk assessor for the latest advice specific to lithium fires and, if available, any guidance specific to personal mobility devices such as e-cycles and e-scooters.

For example, in September 2023 London Fire Brigade released Fire Safety Guidance Note GN103: charging and storage for electric powered personal vehicles. This provides detailed guidance for office premises up to 18 metres in height and sets out a suggested approach for both office and residential buildings greater than 18 metres in height. 

Guidance from the insurance industry

Premises managers should consult their insurance provider to check specific requirements. The insurance industry also publishes fire risk management guidance, although, at the time of publication, no document specific to e-scooter or e-cycle fire risk is available.

Guidance relating to electric motor vehicles

Guidance is available from several sources relating to electric motor vehicles (cars, heavy goods vehicles and buses, for example). In many cases, it is noted that devices such as e-cycles and e-scooters are specifically excluded from the scope. Nonetheless, some aspects may potentially be useful and relevant, for example, risk assessment procedures and possible hazard mitigation methods. Recent examples include the Fire Protection Association’s RC59 – Fire safety when charging electric vehicles (PDF), published in January 2023).

Guidance on e-cycles and e-scooters

The following guidance is from the Department for Transport (DfT):

• Gear Change: policy paper outlining the role of cycles and e-cycles in England’s future transport policy
• Electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs) in Great Britain: information sheet
• Guidance on powered transporters, which includes privately owned e-scooters
• E-scooter trials: guidance for local authorities and rental operators
• E-scooter trials: guidance for users

Guidance from other countries

Fire risk from lithium batteries in personal mobility devices is an international issue, and countries around the world are developing resources as a response.

Recent updates to the ‘fire codes’ in some states of the USA now contain clauses around ‘powered micromobility devices’. An example of this can be found in the Washington State Amendments to the 2021 international fire code (PDF).

UK authorities and fire and rescue services will continue to work with international counterparts to reflect international best practice in UK guidance.   

Risk assessment

A fire risk assessment and subsequent fire mitigation measures is a legal duty under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The potential introduction of a new fire hazard would require a review of the fire risk assessment.

Fire risk assessments should be carried out by a competent person or by a professional fire risk assessor with relevant technical expertise. It will involve a holistic assessment of the premises for fire risk, fire safety systems and control measures, and potential consequences should a fire occur.

Premises managers can support this work initially by monitoring or surveying premises users to establish the current and likely future numbers and types of e-cycles and/or e-scooters stored, used and/or charged on the premises, and any particular requirements or behaviours that may need to be accommodated (for example, use of non-standard e-cycles by disabled residents).

Incidence risk factors

The limited data currently available suggests that lithium battery fires involving e-scooters and e-cycles are increasing year on year. Sadly, these incidents have involved a number of fatalities and serious injuries.

Reported figures collated from 38 fire and rescue services suggest that total incidents in recent years were at least:

• 2020: 77
• 2021: 159
• 2022: 227
• 2023: 338 (forecast)

Some detail on the causes of attended fires is provided by government statistics, but this analysis does not extend to the level of detail which would enable lithium battery fires from e-scooters and/or e-cycles to be identified.

The destructive nature of lithium battery fires often means that precise details of the vehicle and battery involved are hard to establish after a fire.

However, preliminary information from fire services suggests:

• risk is highest while batteries are charging
• e-cycles from established brands purchased from reputable retailers as a complete system, and used in accordance with instructions, are understood to present a low fire risk
• the London Fire Brigade has identified ‘gig economy’ delivery riders as a particularly high-risk user group, due to widespread use of owner-modified e-cycles
• visibly damaged, bulging, smelly or leaking battery packs pose an extremely high fire risk and should not be permitted in premises or vehicles

Mitigation of risk

Mitigation of risk from e-scooter and e-cycle battery fires can take place in several stages:

• educating users about the risks and to encourage responsible purchase and use
• provision of physical facilities at the premises to ensure these devices can be used and charged safely
• management of premises to address remaining risks

Educating users

Premises managers can mitigate risks by proactively promoting the government’s guidance for users of e-cycles and e-scooters to premises users.

This guidance reflects calls from fire and rescue services for e-cycle and e-scooter users to purchase responsibly from reputable retailers.

It also guides users on safe charging and storage, which will help them minimise risks to themselves and others.

Local fire and rescue services may also have developed guidance for users that is specific to local conditions, and this should also be promoted to users. For example, London Fire Brigade has comprehensive guidance as part of their  #ChargeSafe campaign. You can also read guidance from Fire England.

Provide physical facilities

The best, but not essential, solution is to provide safe facilities so that users can continue to use their chosen vehicles while fire risk is addressed by the provision of suitable, safe infrastructure.

Options include to:

• provide separate safe and secure battery storage and charging facilities, such as purpose-designed metal lockers, ideally located outside, while e-scooters or e-cycles (minus their batteries) use existing parking facilities
• upgrade or relocate existing cycle storage areas for enhanced fire safety (see detailed guidance and design considerations, below)

In any case, ensure cycle parking provision on the premises is accessible, secure and easy to use so that residents are less likely to store e-cycles in their homes.

Read local transport note (LTN) 1/20 and the BA/CRWG UK public cycle parking standard. Both focus on public parking, but much of the content is also relevant to private sector cycle parking provision.

Design considerations for safe charging and storage locations

Until additional national guidance or more specific guidance for residential premises is published, it is strongly recommended that all premises managers refer to the London Fire Brigade’s Fire Safety Guidance Note GN103: charging and storage for electric powered personal vehicles.

This details important considerations, including, in summary:

• the importance of locating storage and charging facilities such that a fire cannot obstruct means of escape from the building
• that ground-level entry is preferred, so firefighters can get direct access from the fire engine parking location, and premises information and signage should be provided
• that if storage/charging is to take place in a basement, existing smoke control systems may need upgrading
• that if no smoke ventilation system is in place, consider installing an automatically openable vent linked to the room’s fire detector and also water-based fire suppression if not already in place
• a means of raising the alarm to alert all building residents should be in place along with smoke detectors
• an external means to isolate the electrical power for the storage/charging room should be provided and clearly signposted
• consider the implications of possible high-temperature fires on the building structure
• fighting lithium fires often involves considerable amounts of water, so consider how water run-off and contaminated water will be handled
• fire risk assessors should consider additional issues including the location of gas intake pipes

For buildings with dangerous external cladding that is still awaiting remediation, London Fire Brigade recommends that residents are instructed not to store any e-cycles or e-scooters within the building whatsoever until the cladding is replaced.

Additional suggested charging and storage considerations from other sources include:

• ensuring that an adequate number of electrical outlets are supplied so that even at maximum capacity, users can connect chargers directly to a mains socket without the use of extension cords or adaptors
• ensuring that the storage and charging area is not also used for other purposes that might increase fire risk, such as the storage of flammable materials
• aiming to ensure at least 45cm separation between battery packs that are on charge, unless fireproof separators are employed.

Managing premises

Once the needs of premises users are established, and all reasonable physical provisions for safe charging and storage have been made, premises managers and risk assessors may consider implementing policies that facilitate responsible use of these vehicles. They should address specific aspects that (as detailed earlier) have been identified by fire and rescue services as increasing fire risk.

If these mitigations, or similar, are employed their effectiveness should be regularly monitored and the risk assessment likewise regularly reviewed.

Examples of fire risk aspects that should be addressed include:

1. General policies restricting the storage of e-cycles, e-scooters and similar items in common areas, stairwells and other fire escape routes should be fully implemented and monitored.

2. If secure and safe cycle storage and charging provisions exist, users should be strongly encouraged to leave batteries in place on e-cycles and charge them there, rather than removing the battery and charging it in their home.

3. If there is shared access to the storage and charging area, some residents may still be concerned about theft of batteries and/or chargers, even if the cycle itself can be securely locked. This might lead them to remove batteries and charge them elsewhere. One solution to address this would be to provide secure battery charging lockers in or near the storage area (with a mains socket in each locker). Any such lockers should be specifically designed for e-cycle/e-scooter battery charging, be clearly labelled and installation should ideally include automatic ventilation to the outside.

4. It should be made clear that damaged lithium batteries are a particularly high fire risk and should not be brought onto the premises.

5. Consider policies restricting e-cycle and e-scooter battery charging on the premises, but not restricting access or storage. This may be a particularly appropriate approach for non-residential premises, where these vehicles are less likely to be parked overnight, and are more likely to be stored in a lower-risk parking facility during working hours if employees are using them for commuting purposes. In most cases, e-cycles have more than adequate range for commuting journeys without requiring regular charging at the workplace.

Review regularly

Risk assessments and the effectiveness of policies should be reviewed regularly by premises managers.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards is currently working closely with the fire service to review all evidence of fires involving lithium batteries in e-bikes and e-scooters to ensure the product safety issues are properly assessed and action is taken to protect users from harm.

Check regularly for updated guidance from government, fire and rescue services, regulatory authorities and other sector-relevant organisations.