Panel to address lithium battery fire safety

A roundtable was held on the 15th of February to address the issue of lithium battery fire safety.

This follows a recent increase in incidents of fires involving e-bike and e-scooter battery packs, as reported by, for example, the London Fire Brigade.

This initial meeting brought together principally Government departments and agencies, the Bicycle Association (representing the UK cycle industry) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, to exchange information about work currently underway.

The Chief Executive of Active Travel England, Danny Williams, chaired the roundtable.

Among the attendees were representatives from the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), who have commissioned research into the safety of lithium-ion batteries. Also present were officials from DEFRA who are preparing a consultation to review the UK Batteries Regulations, and Department for Transport (DfT) officials working on a variety of aspects around electrification of transport and active travel.

Following this meeting, officials from DfT and Active Travel England will, as a first step, work together to establish how best to communicate information on lithium battery safety to the public.