An e-Bike Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Retrospective
By Stephen Coulter and Krystyna Weston, Co-Founders Zipidi Micromobility and CREDZ
The precautions and regulations that would have mitigated the risk of this fire.
A fire caused by a lithium-ion battery charging overnight in an apartment bedroom, has resulted in 60 people being evacuated from a Melbourne city building while the two apartment occupants fortunately escaped. The news report identified the e-Bike and battery as being from lithiumbicycle.com.au.
Zipidi has reviewed this incident and identified many ways this near disaster could have been avoided.
- Government Regulation requiring vehicle approval for importation
- Government Regulation requiring specific quality and safety certifications
- Smart Labelling
- Better public education on buying, using and charging devices with lithium-ion batteries.
- Education for consumers on what to look for on websites, product specifications and certifications.
Government Regulation Requiring Vehicle Approval for Importation
Australia has had an import approval process known as an “Advisory Notice” since at least 2018. Until 2021 it was compulsory to apply and receive an Advisory Notice for any eBike, eScooter or electric Personal Mobility Device imported to Australia. Advisory Notices are administered by the Federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Communication et al.
Since July 2021, Advisory Notices have been optional. Importers have the option of declaring their goods comply with Australian regulations, but do not need to provide evidence and receive approval, as they would to gain an Advisory Notice.
Many importers of quality brands still apply for an Advisory Notice for each model to ensure it has government approval and proof the specifications comply with Australian law.
Australian States could make a State requirement that any eBikes, eScooters and other devices must have a valid Advisory Notice to be sold and used in their State. It would be better if the Federal Government made this a mandatory requirement as it was prior to July 2021.
All approved devices could then be loaded on a simple government website to inform consumers, businesses, and others which products are legally available for sale and use in the State. Countries such as Spain and Singapore already have such websites.
States mandating Advisory Notice approval for any electric bike or electric personal mobility device leverage an existing, known, and proven process. It supports quality brands that already do this. It puts pressure on non-compliant and poor-quality products to exit the market, improve their quality, or risk prosecution.
Government Regulation Requiring Specific Quality and Safety Certifications
Australia and the States do not need to invent new requirements for lithium-ion batteries, e-bikes and e-scooters. These certifications already exist worldwide and for specific markets such as the EU.
Good certifications such as those developed by USA Laboratory UL Labs have been adopted outside the USA — Singapore for example.
If the Federal Government is unable/unwilling to act quickly, States should mandate which certifications are required for vehicles to be sold and used within their State.
Ideally, States should collaborate, but as a limited range of worldwide standards exists, significant variation is unlikely.
A good starting point for States would be to mandate the following certifications are required for electric bikes, scooters and personal mobility devices be sold:
- UL2271 for batteries
- EU 2023/1542 for batteries
- UL 2272 for eScooters and ePMDs
- UL 2849 for eBikes
- ISO 4210 for e-bikes, it also applies to the quality for pedal bikes
- EN 15194 for eBikes
Most quality global manufacturers have to comply in all geographies so they will likely have these certifications.
This requirement will hit cheap and poor-quality manufacturers who are less likely to be able to afford the various certification processes.
Smart Fraud Proof Labelling
The labelling of bikes, scooters, and personal mobility devices is typically poor and inconsistent. It can also be fake. QR codes will not be the solution, as they are easily faked.
New smart labelling technology can be fraud-proof and link to proven advisory notices, safety instructions, certifications, and specifications for any device or battery. It can also check compliance with local laws based on the device's location with a simple mobile phone scan.
This same technology can also be used by Border Control to determine if imports are legal or not. It overcomes Border Control’s lack of specialist skills to determine if a bike, scooter, battery or other device complies.
Some of the best Smart Labelling technology worldwide has been developed and patented with Australia’s CSIRO and enables labelling at serial number level, connected to specifications, certifications and much more.
Better Public Education on Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries
Public education on the purchase, use and charging of devices with lithium-ion batteries is fragmented, inconsistent and low profile. Many governments, fire departments, government agencies, manufacturers, retailers and others promote safe practices — but none with sufficient budget, reach or consistent messaging to cut through.
The 2023 ACCC research into lithium-ion battery fires predicts that the average Australian household has 25 lithium-ion batteries in its home. This is a widespread issue across many product categories.
Battery safety education requires an effective, consistent, coordinated multi-level campaign along the lines of Slip, Slop, Slap, Life Be In It or Declare War on 1034.
Professionalism of the Product’s Website
A quick look at the website sends up red flags from the home page…
The English does not appear correct. I wasn’t aware you could “journal” with an eBike. I suspect the desired headline was “Start Your Next Journey with an eBike”.
While a 12-month warranty is claimed, the details reveal that some parts are only covered for 1 to 6 months.
The maintenance guide does not look professional…
The maintenance guide includes the following battery charging advice…
Charge your battery overnight, this way you can access cheaper electricity rates.
This is directly in contravention of the recommended advice for charging safety as mentioned by the Fire Service.
Lithium Bicycle is an Australian Company (ABN 24 649 430 302) based in Burwood, NSW. It has retail shops in both Sydney and Melbourne.
Check the Specifications of the Products Being Sold
Lithium Bicycle sells a range of e-bikes and e-scooters and spare lithium-ion batteries. We reviewed the website listing for the “Lithium Bicycle Cargo eBike with 20-inch Heavy Duty Tubeless Tire(sic)”. This looks to be a template and other models’ specifications are displayed similarly.
The specifications are functional and don’t detail the brands of key components, e.g.,
- Motor: 250W High Torque Brushless Rear Drive Motor
- Battery detail:48V, highest voltage 54.6V, minimum voltage 41.6
While 250W motors are legal in Australia, the quality of the motor can vary dramatically by brand, e.g. Bosch Vs generic brand. Similarly, the quality and safety of battery cells vary from quality brands like Panasonic, Samsung and LG to no-name cells.
The specifications also state:
- Speed: Up to 25 km/h (high-speed controller available)
25 kph is the maximum speed for pedal assist in Australia. High-speed controller available may indicate the bike can be “unlocked” and go faster?
The promotional video for Lithium Bicycle shows a throttle only e-Bike being ridden — the rider is not pedalling. Bikes able to be ridden throttle-only are illegal in Australia at speeds above 6kph…
Check the Certifications of the Products being Sold.
E-Bikes and lithium batteries can be certified by approved laboratories as meeting various safety and quality testing required by various governments and authorities. Relevant certifications could include UL2271 for batteries and UL 2849 for the eBike. Other certifications could include ISO 4210 from the International Standards Association, EN 15194 from Europe and EU Regulation 2023/1542 for batteries. Other certification standards also exist.
The Lithium Bicycle website does not mention certifications. However, certifications for e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries can be obtained from various testing authorities worldwide. A certification is a cost to the manufacturer and is model-specific. Tests can be expensive, and quality manufacturers generally invest in certifications—some countries require them. Cheaper and poorer-quality products may not invest in certifications.
Lithium Bicycle may have certifications but has failed to detail them on their website.
Retrospective Summary
- Price is a huge motivator — people will choose a bargain over safety, if they are unaware of the consequences or how to identify a device as safe or not.
- The availability of cheap bikes, scooters and other vehicles, due to lack of import enforcement or certification checking enables poorer quality, cheaper and potentially dangerous vehicles and batteries to be available.
- Consistent public education is required for communication to be effective. Governments need to lead this initiative. It needs to be across all categories of items using lithium-ion batteries — it's not just a mobility issue.
- Regulatory processes, models and standards already exist in Australia and worldwide which can be adopted quickly as a first defence.
- State Governments can mandate vehicle and battery compliance with proven certifications and require Federal Advisory Notices for vehicles.
- Smart labelling can be implemented within months and have a significant impact. It can be industry or government led — it needs to happen.
- The Lithium Bicycle website has many red flags which should make buyers wary. Lithium Bicycles may be of high quality, but nothing in their website supports this contention.
- Many other websites of suspect quality are identifiable and warrant consumer caution.
About Zipidi
Zipidi has worked extensively in micromobility worldwide and has detailed expertise in all issues mentioned in this article. We work with governments, manufacturers, retailers, insurers and other businesses on a range of safety, risk and technology issues. Below are links to other articles we have written on related topics:
Zipidi has recently made a submission to the NSW Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety regarding Electric and hybrid vehicle batteries which is available here…
