Electric scooter and electric bicycle batteries already cause more fires than phone batteries
Light electric personal transportation devices are increasingly the cause of fires, according to Pohjola Insurance’s statistics.
Pohjola Insurance has noticed a concerning phenomenon: the number of cases of fire damage caused by light electric personal transportation devices such as electric scooters, electric bicycles and electric mopeds is increasing.
“The number of electric transportation devices and the number of incidents caused by them has increased rapidly over the last two years. All our loss surveyors have by now encountered cases of fire damage caused by the charging of these devices,” says Sini Kujala, Claims Team Manager at Pohjola Insurance.
According to Kujala, battery fires in electric bicycles and electric scooters are already more common than cases of fire damage caused by charging phones.
Specialists from Pohjola Insurance’s Special Investigation Unit have conducted charging tests with transportation devices with a researcher specialising in electric fires. They have also conducted fire tests by simulating a short circuit in the battery packs.
“The tests showed that a battery pack can explode and start a fast-spreading fire or an insidious smouldering fire that produces toxic gases into the air we breathe. Battery fires are still rare, but at their worst, they can be life-threatening,” says Kujala.
Specialist: do not charge batteries in these places
The cause of these fires is often found to be a technical fault, but unfortunately often it is also a matter of the user not carefully reading the device operating manual or ignoring the warnings listed in it. People have also charged batteries overnight or without supervision.
“In the worst case, people have placed a battery in a wardrobe to charge overnight, leaving it in an environment where it is surrounded by highly flammable material. Another dangerous place to charge batteries is near the apartment entrance: an overheating battery or defective charger can start a fire in the entry hallway, making it difficult to exit the burning apartment,” says Kujala.
You should be particularly careful if the electric bicycle or electric scooter has fallen down or been otherwise damaged.
“If you fall down with an electric bicycle or something collides with the battery, the battery cells may start releasing hydrogen, which causes the battery to swell and ignite. That’s why a swollen or unpredictably functioning battery should be discarded as hazardous waste immediately,” says Kujala.
How to charge batteries safely
- Buy the transportation device from a known and reliable manufacturer. For example, a cheap and unknown Chinese device from a foreign online store may not meet EU safety requirements.
- Read the operating manual carefully in its entirety and follow the instructions. Use the device’s own charger to charge the battery.
- Do not allow the battery to get too low: an undercharged battery may lead to heat release and a fire.
- Do not leave the battery unattended for long periods of time while charging.
- Only place the charging battery on a non-flammable surface and ensure that you do not charge the battery near exit routes or flammable materials. For example, bedrooms and entry hallways are not suitable places to charge batteries.
- Purchase a small fire extinguisher in case of fire damage, because extinguishing a battery fire with a fire blanket or water is difficult.
- Ensure your home insurance and fire alarm are in order.
Media enquiries:
OP Financial Group Communications, tel. +358 10 252 8719, viestinta@op.fi
Pohjola Insurance is Finland’s leading non-life insurer with a total of 2.5 million private and corporate customers. It provides an extensive range of non-life insurance services to private, corporate and institutional clients. Pohjola Insurance is part of OP Financial Group which is Finland's largest financial services group.