New Government Guidance on E-Bike and E-Scooter Safety

On 1^st February 2024, the government issued new guidelines on how to safely purchase, charge, and use e-bikes and e-scooters in an effort to improve consumer safety. These releases are in response to recent concerns by the fire and rescue services over the increasing frequency of fire incidents involving lithium-ion batteries used in e-cycles and e-scooters.

For users in particular, advice is offered on the best practices for buying e-cycles, replacement batteries and chargers, and e-cycle conversion kits, as well as safe practices for applying modifications, de-restriction, and dongles.

Specific information is also provided to premises managers on how to assess and “proportionately manage” the risk of fire in buildings / premises where such devices are being stored or charged. It also highlights the legal requirement to have an up-to-date fire risk assessment in place, and the need to regularly review risk assessments and the effectiveness of policies. Premises managers are also requested to monitor their premises or survey transport to “establish the current and likely future numbers and types of e-cycles and/or e-scooters” that may be used.

The government also offers some suggestions regarding the mitigation of risk, including:

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

Until more specific guidance pertaining to residential premises is published, the government has advised that building managers should follow the advice given by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) in their ‘Guidance Note GN103: charging and storage for electric powered vehicles’, which can be found here.

This advice includes avoiding the placement of storage and charging facilities in areas that could impede escape routes, updating or installing smoke control systems and water-based fire suppression systems, and an external means to isolate the electrical power within the storage/charging facility.

Anthony Browne, Technology and Decarbonisation Minister, said:

“Safety has always been our top priority, which is why our latest guidance aims to improve the awareness of e-bike and e-scooter users in the trial areas where they’re authorised.”

The full guidance for battery safety for e-cycle users can be found here.

Further information about government guidance specifically for managing fire risk for premises can be found here.