Insurance expert says regulate e-bike sales

QBE Insurance identified nearly 300 e-bike fires in the UK in 2023, up +70% year-on-year says Adrian Simmonds, Practice Leader at QBE, in International Fire Safety Journal (IFSJ). He underlines that lithium-ion battery fires are sudden, ferocious and prone to reigniting after being extinguished. They produce high heat, flammable vapours and highly toxic smoke. Many of these fires were caused by poorly manufactured, uncertified batteries, modifications of e-bikes or use of inappropriate chargers. Transport for London has banned non-folding e-bikes from buses and underground, citing the high fire risk of modified e-bikes (conversion kits). QBE is calling for regulation of online sales of unsafe e-bikes and of conversion kits.

International Fire Safety Journal, June 2025 https://internationalfireandsafetyjournal.com/magazine/