Government publishes research on e-bike battery safety

Posted on 31 Jan 2025

New independent research conducted by the Warwick Manufacturing Group and sanctioned by the Office for Product Safety Standards (OPSS) has confirmed that Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)-made e-bikes are effectively exempt from risk of battery fires, with unsafe post-purchase replacement batteries, conversion kits, and other equipment that don’t conform to safety regulations are at blame for the vast majority of dangerous incidents.

The ACT welcomes the comprehensive report and its findings.

The lab-controlled tests, carried out by Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) in consultation with a number of other organisations, found that the process behind battery fires - namely thermal runaway - is far more likely to occur in poorly-made batteries that do not feature appropriate temperature controls, as well as those lacking in other areas such as waterproofing and weld quality.

WMG's lab testing included a wide range of e-bike and e-scooter products from across the market, with high-quality products featuring better design elements found to completely eliminate any risk of thermal runaway and pose next to no fire risk.

The research, published by the Office for Product Safety and Standards, stated: "Product testing for this report showed that the Personal Light Electric Vehicle (PLEV) batteries with a higher price-per-unit-of-energy, which had better designed safety circuits, more sophisticated electronics and were better manufactured, successfully prevented thermal runaway by a combination of passive and active protection systems."

The report recommends that the Government strengthen regulations around battery safety and enforce stricter compliance measures for conversion kits and replacement batteries sold through online marketplaces.

Jonathan Harrison, Director of the ACT, stated that the findings of the research confirm what e-bike campaigners have been highlighting for some time. He said:

"It is great to see this crucial piece of research confirm what we and other organisations behind the e-bike positive campaign been campaigning on that e-bikes that are manufactured correctly pose almost zero risk to their users or anyone else.

"The negative press from prominent areas of the mainstream media, which include largely unsubstantiated claims that incidents of fire are an issue across the entire e-bike industry, have been incredibly damaging to the sector and in particular to independent e-bike retailers that play an important part in promoting sustainable travel in our towns and cities.

"Fires caused by poorly made conversion kits and post-purchase battery replacements, often found through online marketplaces, is a burning issue (pun intended!) and needs to be dealt with through better regulation and enforcement, as these tests have clearly highlighted. However, this research is a major step in putting to bed suggestions that e-bikes carry an inherent danger—they do not."

The ACT has been at the forefront of promoting the positives of e-bike use, having launched the e-bike positive campaign alongside other key industry organisations last year, while also speaking out against misleading headlines and counter-factual reporting. The association recently lodged a formal complaint against the BBC for its Panorama special E-Bikes: The Battle for our Streets, which was widely criticised by a number of cycling industry leaders for its unbalanced reporting and lack of accuracy.

To read the PLEV battery safety research in full, visit here.

The e-Bike Positive campaign, launched last year by the ACT and other key cycling organisations, aims to promote the positive aspects of e-bike usage and to ensure fair and accurate reporting of e-bike-related news. To find out more, click here.

You can join our list of e-bike positive retailers by signing our pledge here.