E-bike battery fires: Some tips to help buyers avoid getting burned

Andrew Lupton · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 09, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: July 9

With Toronto's occurrence section sounding the alarm astir lithium-ion artillery fires, the owners of 2 London-area e-bike shops accidental a spot of user acquisition goes a agelong way. 

From 2022 to 2024, the fig of fires linked to the rechargeable batteries successful Toronto jumped 162 per cent, from 29 to 76. Many of those fires are linked to e-bikes powered by lithium-ion batteries, though the batteries besides powerfulness scooters and different devices.

Matt Long, who's been selling battery-powered bikes astatine his store E-Ride London for 15 years, said bikes bought online often don't person the aforesaid information certifications arsenic bikes purchased astatine a shop. 

"The biggest happening is buying the cheaper bikes," helium said. "They're cheaper for a reason. They're cheaping retired connected unstable lithium-ion artillery cells."

Long said buyers should beryllium looking for "UL" certification connected bikes they buy, which stands for Underwriters Laboratories and indicates a information modular recognized successful the U.S. and Canada. Long said bikes astatine his store are made by Canadian companies, specified arsenic Taubik, Velec and Envo, which each person UL certification. 

Long said UL 2849 certification indicates that the bike's artillery and electrical strategy person been tested. Other UL certifications are constricted to the artillery alone. 

While helium can't remark connected each motorcycle disposable connected the market, Long said helium would presumption with immoderate suspicion immoderate e-bike that's lone disposable direct-to-consumer done an online vendor. He besides recommends buyers beryllium leery of immoderate e-bike with a terms tag successful the $1,000 scope oregon less. 

"If you bargain from a store, you get immoderate enactment and prime batteries, and you tin talk to a quality if you person a problem," helium said. "Most of the amended companies are dealer-based and they don't vessel to the customer."   

Long said he'd similar to spot tougher regulations connected bikes that are imported for merchantability successful Canada. 

Joe Haskett owns Junior's e-Bikes successful St. Thomas, a store that sells e-bikes and mobility scooters powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. 

He agrees that cheaper, imported e-bikes and scooters are portion of the artillery occurrence problem, and says motorcycle owners request to work and travel instructions astir however to safely complaint and store their battery. 

"There should beryllium nary occupation if they decently travel the guidelines astir however to support a battery," helium said. 

Haskett said information tips see ne'er charging a artillery that's damaged or hot from caller use, and batteries should beryllium unplugged erstwhile charging is complete. 

Haskett's store besides sells peculiar fire-proof blankets to wrapper batteries erstwhile they're not successful use. He said this is adjuvant successful cases wherever determination isn't a store oregon balcony to store the motorcycle distant from flammable worldly specified arsenic carpets and furniture.  

London occurrence section gets peculiar gear

London Deputy Fire Chief Matt Hepditch said London firefighters person responded to lithium-ion artillery fires, but not connected the aforesaid standard arsenic what's happening successful Toronto. 

"The issues that we spot are possibly radical that are buying after-market batteries and not the batteries built by the existent manufacturer," said Hepditch. 

It's important that batteries are not modified and are the correct batteries for the motorcycle being used, helium said. 

He said lithium-ion batteries tin spell into a unsafe authorities called "thermal runaway." This happens erstwhile the battery's cells vigor up and transportation that vigor to adjacent cells, 1 aft the other, until the full artillery bursts into flames. When this happens, Hepditch said the resulting occurrence tin be difficult to extinguish. 

"The occurrence conscionable grows successful intensity and it's not going retired until the powerfulness root is drained," helium said. "It's a precise aggravated occurrence and it tin dispersed precise quickly."

London's occurrence section is investigating peculiar instrumentality to woody with artillery fires, including sand-filled containers utilized to clasp batteries that go overheated.

"I besides cognize that the artillery manufacture is making improvements to marque them safer, they're working connected the issue," helium said.