New driving law plans to crack down on electric bikes and scooters 'wreaking havoc and destroying lives'
There have been more than 120 e-scooter and e-bike fires in London alone this year
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Experts are calling on the Government to introduce “critical” legislation to prevent further deaths from electric bike and scooter fires, as well as urging a “hero” MP to support the measures.
Nine deaths have already been seen this year from e-bike and e-scooter fires, with a charity urgently seeking an MP to adopt and table a new Bill in Parliament.
The Bill, titled “The Safety of Electric-Powered Micromobility Vehicles and Lithium Batteries Bill”, will be available to MPs selected in Westminster’s annual Bill Ballot draw on November 16.
Any law changes stemming from the legislation would propose sweeping and “essential” changes to how electric bikes, scooters and their batteries are regulated across the UK.
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One of the key aims of the legislation would be to force third party approval of the devices before they come to market.
If adopted, the Bill may also impose a temporary ban on “universal chargers” until measures are put in place to ensure all batteries and chargers are safe for use.
A solution to this could be to introduce a communications protocol between the battery and charger to reduce the risk of an overcharge fire happening because of incorrect voltage.
Another measure included in the Bill would be to introduce clear markings on the batteries so users know not to dispose of them in the general waste.
The Bill comes as an escalation of Electric Safety First’s campaign to tackle a spate of fatal e-bike and e-scooter fires across the UK.
Lesley Rudd, chief executive of the charity, said time was of the essence for the Government to introduce legislation and protect riders from fires.
She added: “The number of deaths is rising and we are determined to bring about real change to help prevent the wholly avoidable loss of life we are seeing from these devices.
“We must find the political will to tackle this issue head-on and urgently. Our Bill is ready to go and offers real, life-saving solutions, first outlined in our report, Battery Breakdown.
“Our Bill will protect people from the substandard e-bike and e-scooter batteries currently wreaking havoc in our homes and destroying lives.”
The charity estimates that almost 150 members of Parliament have had a fire linked to an e-bike or e-scooter in their constituency since 2020.
New York City recently introduced such a law requiring all e-bikes and their batteries being sold or operated in the city to be approved by a third party to ensure they conform to safety standards.
Lesley Rudd continued, saying: “We are offering solutions to the escalating problems to both Government and MPs.
“To prevent further loss of life and unnecessary heartache, we urge parliamentarians to work with us to adopt this Bill and ultimately to save lives.”
Data from the London Fire Brigade revealed that crews had fought 123 fires from e-bikes and e-scooters between January and August this year.
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The new law would introduce more stringent rules for batteries
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This is compared to 116 fires in the whole of 2022 and 78 in 2021, showing the problem is becoming more common.