New e-bike battery guidelines

The government has announced their new statutory guidelines for businesses producing and distributing lithium-ion batteries for e-bikes as part of their objective to prevent fires caused by unsafe e-bikes and related products.

2023 saw at least ten fire-related fatalities in the UK involving e-bikes or e-scooters, with the culprit largely being poorly designed or manufactured lithium-ion batteries, which pose a risk of thermal runaway and can result in a serious fire or explosion. Thus, the guidelines for e-bikes ensure that lithium-ion batteries must contain a safety mechanism to address that risk.

Producers and distributors of lithium-ion batteries will now need to take into account these guidelines when assessing whether their productivity meets legal requirements under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (GPSR) in Great Britain. It is now an offence to place a lithium-ion battery on the market if it is not a safe product.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), as the UK’s national product regulator, and Local Authority Trading Standards, have powers to enforce the GPSR and sanctions exist for those that do not comply.

These new guidelines follow the October launch of the government’s Buy Safe Be Safe campaign, which is aimed at the public to help them buy safe e-bikes and e-scooters from reputable sellers. The government has partners with retailers, manufacturers, online marketplaces, and consumer groups to promote the consumer advice.

Regulatory action against non-compliant and unsafe products forms part of wider government activity to make sure that our ambition for increasing the use of cleaner and active modes of transport ,including the use of e-bikes and e-scooters, is supported by consumers being able to purchase safe products.