Authorities in New South Wales, Australia, are piling safety pressure on emobility suppliers of ebikes and escooters. This follows a series of heart-rending incidents, reported on the AAP News channel. From now on, suppliers of ebikes and escooters MUST inform their customers of safety procedures.
What Triggered the Pressure on eMobility Suppliers?
A coroner is currently conducting an inquiry into two particularly tragic incidents among a large number of fires:
- The first involved the death of two grandmothers, trapped upstairs after an ebike lithium-ion battery exploded. It turned out that incorrect screws use to attach the battery cap had pierced the battery itself.
- In the second incident, a twenty-year-old student and food delivery rider went to bed leaving their lithium-ion battery charging. They used the incorrect charger. The rest is tragic history.
Technical experts told the coroner how lithium-ion batteries are used in ebikes, escooters, cordless vacuum cleaners, and tools. As well as in electric toothbrushes, shavers, toys, cameras, phones and household energy storage systems.
From the evidence, it was clear that more safety pressure was needed on emobility suppliers, who interface with customers at the point of sale. The coroner heard dramatic stories of exploding ebike and escooter batteries “emitting jet-like flames, and toxic fumes posing an increasingly lethal danger”.
It’s Time to Put More Pressure on Suppliers
The coroner also heard tales of bad manufacturing practices, that increase the risk of lithium-ion battery fires. Clearly, those present concluded, there is a greater need to educate the public about these risks.
If a lithium-ion battery fails it can go into thermal runaway, a fire official explained. This releases heat energy from a battery cell, resulting in self-sustaining fires emitting toxic gases.
“In the interests of public safety it is critical that people understand the risks, and take steps to protect themselves and their loved ones,” the coroner said. Food delivery riders are particularly vulnerable, because they constantly need to recharge their batteries.
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