An e-bike was involved in yet another fire that left one woman injured early on Monday morning.
E-bike-related fires have been on the rise in recent years — fires cause by lithium-ion batteries (often used in e-bikes) nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023, from 29 fires to 55. In October 2023, two people were hospitalized after an e-bike caught fire in a residential highrise in Yorkville and an e-bike fire injured one person in a New Year’s Eve fire on a TTC subway car. It was bad enough that Metrolinx banned some e-bikes from GO trains in March.
In New York, e-bike fires became so widespread, and so deadly, that the municipal government launched a $2 million trade-in program for unsafe e-bikes and mobility devices after 268 fires caused 150 injuries and 18 deaths in 2023 alone.
So why do e-bike batteries keep catching fire, and what can we do about it? Here’s what you need to know.
Why do e-bike batteries catch fire?
Lithium-ion batteries found in phones and EVs don’t regularly catch fire, so what’s different about e-bikes?
Mainly, it’s that e-bike batteries aren’t required to have certification for safety, Jeff Dahn, a chemistry and physics professor at Dalhousie University, explained.
“It’s the wild west out there,” Dahn said. “People are building e-bikes, competing with each other on cost … and the biggest problem is e-bike batteries don’t have to be safety certified by any organization at all at the moment.”
Prospective e-bike buyers should look out for batteries that have a certification, like one from the Canadian Underwriter’s Laboratory (appears as a “UL” symbol), Dahn said, to make sure their battery has been rigorously tested.
But there’s a reason why many e-bike manufacturers don’t have certification for their batteries — it’s expensive.
Stronger certification standards for e-bike batteries “is the single most important step” to improving safety, Olivier Trescases, an energy systems professor at University of Toronto, said. “I would like to see the cost of certification reduced — this is a major roadblock in a transportation market segment that is extremely cost sensitive.”
The city also recommends e-bike owners only use chargers and cords that came with the bike, and to never modify or tamper with your battery.
E-bike fires are caused when a single cell overheats, which can lead to a chain reaction igniting other cells within the battery, Trescases explained. That leads to a fire that burns intensely and can release toxic gases.
Once it starts, it’s immensely difficult to stop.
But, occasional e-bike fires should not stop everyone from utilizing a green alternative to driving, Trescases said.
“It’s incredibly important to highlight that these fires are rare, especially given the growing number of e-bikes,” he said. “Substituting a car trip with an e-bike trip is still a great way to reduce our carbon footprint.”
How do I know if my e-bike battery is safe?
First, you should avoid off-brand or aftermarket replacement batteries, as they might not meet safety standards Trescases warned.
Some signs of a damaged battery might be more obvious, Dean MacNeil, a team leader with the National Research Council of Canada, said. Physical damage to a battery, like cracks or discoloration, might be signs to stop using it. Much longer charging times might also be a sign of a damaged battery.
Batteries that get significantly hotter than normal during charging might be another sign that something is wrong, and a reason for charging batteries away from exits, in case you need to evacuate, MacNeil warned.
He added you should also be charging your battery outside of the bike, to help it cool better.
How do I get rid of my e-bike battery?
If you think your lithium-ion battery is damaged, you should not dispose of it in the garbage or recycling, the city warned online. Instead, they need to be brought to a drop-off depot or brought to a community environment day for safe disposal. In the meantime, they should be stored in a clear plastic bag sealed with clear packing tape, duct tape or electrical tape in a cool, dry place. They should be dropped off for safe disposal immediately, the city added.
But, experts the Star spoke to want more permanent solutions so that e-bike batteries are less dangerous.
MacNeil explained that some designs for batteries can stop the thermal chain reaction that causes battery fires, but they make the batteries heavier and decrease the range of the vehicle.
Trescases wants to see more e-bikes designed for performance in Canadian weather. And Dahn put his emphasis on government regulation to ensure batteries are certified, to keep shoddily made ones out of the market.
“These batteries are the fundamental building blocks in just about every portable power unit that you guys use from your earbuds in your ears to your cellphones, to your power tools, to your e-bikes. And there are lots of ways to make these things safe,” MacNeil added. “solutions can be found.”