E-bike owner runs for life after battery bursts into flames while charging
A man was left running for his life after his e-bike battery burst into flames inside his home while it was charging.
In footage released by West Midlands Police on Twitter yesterday, the unnamed man was approaching the bike inside his Birmingham before stepping back.
He shuffled towards the e-bike a few times and, as he stood near the door only a few feet away from it, the bike suddenly exploded.
The room was showered with sparks as the bright flash and the smoke following it engulfed the camera.
Police said they shared the clip, with permission of the e-bike owner, to warn people of the danger of not charging the electric bike correctly.
‘This is the terrifying moment an e-bike battery exploded when it was on charge. The owner of the footage has kindly let us share it, to flag the dangers,’ the force said.
‘Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Never leave an item charging while you’re asleep or away from home.
‘Never charge where a fire could block your escape route. Always unplug when the device is fully charged.
‘Please share to encourage others to charge safely.’
London Fire Brigade (LFB) warned the public about the dangers posed by e-bikes in May as part of its #ChargeSafe campaign.
The Brigade had been called to 52 e-bike and 12 e-scooter fires from January to May this year, including one incident that proved fatal on New Year’s Day.
Police investigators believe that a fire in Cambridge last month that killed a mother and her two children may have been caused by a charging e-bike.
Experts say that why some e-bikes explode is down to the batteries they use, which are generally lithium-ion batteries (like for laptops or mobile phones).
Stephen Curtler, product safety manager at Electrical Safety First, told Metro.co.uk: ‘When lithium-ion batteries fail they create a fire unique in its ferocity.
‘When this happens, the battery goes into a process called thermal runaway, which is almost impossible to stop once triggered.
‘The battery is made up of many individual cells, so when thermal runaway occurs, these cells heat up to an extreme temperature, causing the neighbouring cell to fail and catch fire in what is a domino effect.’
‘Cheaper batteries purchased from online sources which don’t necessarily adhere to UK safety regulations are more likely to fail and present an increased fire risk. Our advice is also to buy from a reputable seller,’ added LFB’s deputy commissioner, Dom Ellis.
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