Written evidence submitted by the London Fire Brigade (ESF0012)

1. Introduction

1.1              London Fire Brigade (LFB) is London's fire and rescue service - one of the largest firefighting and rescue organisations in the world and we are here to make London a safer city. Decisions are made either by the London Fire Commissioner (the statutory fire and rescue authority for Greater London), the Mayor of London or the Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience. A Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning Committee of the London Assembly holds the Commissioner, Mayor and Deputy Mayor to account.

2. Concerns about Lithium batteries in Electrically Powered Personal Vehicles such as e-scooters

2.1              LFB is concerned that the storage and charging of Electrically Powered Personal Vehicles (EPPV) such as e-bikes and e-scooters within both domestic and commercial premises, particularly on escape routes or in communal areas, may cause serious injury or harm to both members of the public and property.

2.2              EPPVs are ever increasing in popularity. Most are powered by lithium batteries which can be charged in the home or at a workplace. Due to their efficiency the use of these batteries in a wide range of household products is becoming increasingly common. However, EPPV battery packs generally consist of a much larger quantity of battery cells in a single battery pack, increasing the risk in the event of thermal runaway or a fire

2.3              There are many makes and models of e-bikes and e-scooters on the market, brought both online and in shops. They have also been available for rental via pilot schemes which have been used to gather data on issues such as pedestrian safety and user safety. EPPVs used for commercial purposes such as food delivery, have also become a common sight in London.

2.4              LFB has clear evidence of a rise in fire related incidents involving E-scooters over the last five years which you can see in the table below:

2.5              Increase in incidents in London

2.6              There has been a rise in popularity for EPPVs as people search for a cleaner more convenient method for short journeys.

2.7              In the National evaluation of e-scooter trials[1] (p42), it was found that “residents who had used an e-scooter, a strong preference was expressed to own one in future (69%), rather than to rent one (31%).” If the Committee is to suggest allowing the public to ride privately owned scooters to the Government, then it is crucial for public safety that the Committee consider fire safety and the proper maintenance of e-scooters, which were overlooked into the evaluation report.

2.8              The National evaluation of e-scooter trials (p61, table 8) reports a much higher casualty rate per mile for rental e-scooter journeys compared to pedal cycle journeys - there were 13 causalities per million miles compared to 3.6 for pedal bikes during the national trial. DfT data[2] on r in the year ending June 2022 shows 1437 people were injured in 1349 incidents involving e-scooters, this is an increase on the 1033 people injured in 978 incidents in 2021. in the year ending June 2022 shows 1437 people were injured in 1349 incidents involving e-scooters, this is an increase on the 1033 people injured in 978 incidents in 2021.

2.9              This trend will inevitably see emergency service responders called more and more often to e-scooter incidents. Further to this, these incidents could be more complex to deal with as there could be additional risk from damaged lithium batteries present.

2.10              As an emergency responder, LFB must also highlight that some privately owned e-scooters can currently go over 60mph[3]. This causes increased risk to both user and members of the public.

3. Lithium battery fires

3.1              Lithium batteries used for EPPVs such as e-scooters tend to store a large amount of energy in a relatively small space, this means that when the energy is released in an uncontrolled way, they can start fires and/or explode. 

3.2              A key difference in these batteries from previous technologies, is that if you abuse them by overheating, crushing, penetrating or overcharging them, then a fault condition occurs within the damaged cells that may lead to thermal runaway, which is explained below. This in turn may lead to causing the component materials to burn or the battery to explode.

3.3               Thermal runaway is one of the primary risks related to lithium batteries. It is a phenomenon in which the lithium cell enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state. Thermal runaway can result in: the ejection of harmful gas, shrapnel and/or particulates (violent cell venting) and extremely high temperatures and can spread from battery to battery when they are in close proximity (e.g. in an e-bike battery pack).

3.4              A problem with this type of battery fire is that the fire burns for much longer and the most common way to extinguish batteries and make them safe is for them to be submerged into water and even doing this they can re-ignite hours days or even weeks after the initial incident. Furthermore, this is also creates environmental issues as the water used is now contaminated and difficult to dispose of in a safe way.

3.5              This means there is a strong need for regulation of lithium batteries (and their maintenance) to ensure that this sort of event does not occur.

3.6              A further risk that needs to be assessed is when e-scooters are used on the road. Should they be involved in a road traffic collision (RTC), then in addition to the human risk (injury or death from the RTC), the e-scooter may have suffered damage that would create a hazard and additional risk to the persons involved as well as emergency responders. During TfL trials using rental e-scooters, any lithium batteries involved in an RTC were put into a quarantine facility, following LFB recommendations.

3.7              If e-scooters are going to be allowed to be privately owned, then LFB recommend that regulation of components of the scooter, particularly the battery, is essential. There also needs to be clear advice on the correct maintenance of the batteries. LFB would also recommend that they would need to be licensed and meet the same standards as other road vehicles, to help ensure that any regulations on components are met. They should also be speed limited.

4. Case Studies

4.1              Case study one – Southwark flat fire caused by an e-scooter on charge

4.1.1              Two fire engines attended a fire which occurred in a flat on the ground floor in a residential block, in the borough of Southwark in 2021. The fire was discovered when the occupants heard a loud bang and upon investigation observed the bedroom door lying in the hallway and thick black smoke issuing from the bedroom.

4.1.2               The bedroom was severely damaged by fire and the remainder of the flat damaged by smoke. One man, one woman and three children left the property before the Brigade arrived. They were all taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation by London Ambulance Service crews. A further 15 people left the building before the Brigade arrived.

4.1.3              A fire investigation was carried out. The cause of the fire was the catastrophic failure of lithium battery cells in a folding electric scooter that was on charge in the bedroom. During the examination it was established that a single lithium cell had undergone an explosive event. This cell was located adjacent to the plate bolts, suggesting that it is possible that the cell could have been mechanically damaged, either by compression or severe vibration or by other mechanical means. The failure of this cell, which was in a high state of charge, initiated thermal runaway in the remaining cells allowing the development of fire.

4.2              Case study two – fire on a underground train caused by an e-scooter being transported in a carriage

4.2.1              Two fire engines attended a fire which occurred in an underground train station in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in 2021. An e-scooter was being transported in the carriage of an eastbound district line train. A passenger operated the emergency alarm to alert the controller of the fire, who then called the brigade and alerted staff at the upcoming station. Once the train arrived at the station the scooter was removed by passengers, whilst the scooter was venting off smoke. An unsuccessful attempt was made to extinguish the fire by passengers using extinguishers. Approximately 50 people left the train, with one suffering the effects of smoke inhalation. Upon the arrival of the fire brigade, the scooter was submerged into a large bin of water and removed from the platform. The train sustained burns to the floor and was removed to the depot.

4.2.2              The cause of the fire was due to the failure of lithium batteries in the scooter.

4.2.3               Following this incident and work with the LFB, TfL banned EPPVs on the London Underground network due to the risks in the underground environment.

4.3              Case study three – e-scooter causes the reignition of a flat fire

4.3.1              In January 2023 three fire engines attended a fire in a home in north London. The cause of the fire was not due to an EPPV. However, an e-scooter was in the room where the fire occurred and did not appear to be severely damaged. Once the fire had been extinguished by fire crews the officer in charge was preparing to scale down the incident when the e-scooter burst into flames and ignited combustible materials close by.

5. Conclusion

5.1              LFB understands the need for a clean, cheap, and easy way for members of the public to travel which explains the rise in popularity of vehicles such as e-scooters. However, if these sorts of vehicles are to become more widely used then there is an urgent need for regulation on their safety, and work is needed to ensure they are maintained properly by those who own them.

February 2023

Endnotes