Ebikes and scooters keep catching fire. What can be done about it?

The number of fires caused by ebikes and scooters in NSW almost tripled last year, as a planned state parliamentary inquiry on electric car batteries shifts focus to the significantly more fire-prone devices.

Fire and Rescue NSW attended 61 fires caused by ebikes and scooters in 2023, an increase from 22 in 2022. A further six fires have been recorded this month.

A North Bondi unit was destroyed in a blaze caused by an e-bike battery left on charge overnight.Credit: Fire and Rescue NSW

A North Bondi unit was destroyed last week when an ebike exploded while on charge, forcing the South American tourists inside to escape out a window. Three food delivery riders were hospitalised, one with extensive burns, after an ebike battery caught fire in their Annandale apartment in December.

The NSW Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety has established a parliamentary inquiry into electric and hybrid vehicle batteries, with submissions closing this week.

The inquiry’s terms of reference focus on electric cars and their charging infrastructure. However, already published submissions from government, industry and emergency services acknowledged ebikes and scooters presented a much greater fire risk.

There have been only six electric vehicle fires during the vehicle’s normal operation in Australia, according to EV FireSafe, an electric vehicle safety research company which receives funding from the federal government. Fire and Rescue NSW attended four fires caused by electric or hybrid vehicles in 2023.

In its submission to the inquiry, EV FireSafe said e-bikes and e-scooters presented the highest fire risk of any consumer goods containing lithium-ion batteries, expressing concern that there is no Emergency Response Guide (ERG) – a government-approved risk management plan – for these fires.

It also expressed concern about “lithium-ion battery fire extinguishers” on the market, which is claimed were being “aggressively” marketed to both emergency services and the automotive industry.

“Many are untested or undertested, and may actually increase risks to users and responders,” the company said of the products.

Lithium batteries are used to power portable rechargeable electronic devices, ranging from mobile phones and laptops to electric vehicles and e-bikes.

A fire sparked by a faulty lithium-ion battery at the Mad Monkey backpackers in Potts Point in October last year.

While quality products have safety switch-off features to prevent overheating, cities across the world are seeing an increasing number of “thermal runaway incidents”, where a battery, typically in a lower quality or converted device, overheats to the point of explosion.

The incidents are more common in modified devices, when an incompatible or damaged charger is used, or when devices are left to “overcharge”.

Last year, London’s fire brigade attended an ebike or scooter fire every two days, prompting a public safety campaign.

In September, New York City banned the sale of ebikes and scooters which did not meet industry safety standards. The city is also introducing a trade-in program for converted devices.

In its submission, electric vehicle lobby group the EV Council urged the state government to increase funding to NSW Fair Trading to address the rising incidence of fires from unsafe products.

”It may be appropriate for the NSW government to investigate the case for recommendations relating to the safe storage and charging of electric scooters, especially in environments such as apartment complexes and offices,” it added.

Since October, the National Construction Code has required 100 per cent of new build residential carparks and 20 per cent of new build commercial carparks to contain EV charging infrastructure.

The Australian Building Codes Board has recommended several safety precautions are taken by buildings which provide charging infrastructure, including updating directional signage to assist emergency services if a fire occurs, and engaging local fire crews to complete a pre-incident plan for the site if there are five or more chargers installed.

Concerns about firefighter access to electric vehicles in underground carparks has led the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council, whose members include Fire and Rescue NSW, to advise governments that underground electric vehicle charging should be classified a special hazard.

This would require specific fire protection measures in buildings, such as the availability of firefighting water on site and automatic incident notification to the local fire department.

The EV Council and the Owners Corporation Network both criticised this position in their submissions, citing the low number of incidents involving cars and instead arguing the focus should be on bikes and scooters.

The City of Sydney, where a high number of ebike fires occurred in apartment complexes last year, also urged the inquiry to focus on these incidents.

Chair of the joint standing committee, Campbelltown MP Greg Warren, said, even though the title of the inquiry only referenced electric vehicles, its terms were deliberately broad and ebikes and scooters would be extensively covered.

After its submission deadline was extended, Warren said he expected hearings would occur in the first half of 2024.

“We do need to address these issues as quickly as we can,” he said, noting recent fires.

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