Overview
- The fatal Bradford blaze that killed Mohsin Janjua in December 2023 was attributed to the catastrophic failure of a lithium-ion battery in his converted e-bike while it charged indoors.
- Martin Fleming’s Prevention of Future Deaths report urges the Office for Product Safety and Standards to impose stricter controls on online lithium-ion battery sales and make marketplaces jointly responsible for ensuring product safety.
- The coroner has given the Office for Product Safety and Standards until September 25 to respond with proposed actions addressing the risks of unregulated e-bike batteries.
- Government data show incidents involving e-bike and e-scooter batteries climbed from five in 2018 to 199 in 2023, with nearly half of fires linked to post-market conversion kits and half occurring during charging.
- Investigators’ test purchases found many online batteries and chargers fail to meet UK safety standards, prompting Electrical Safety First to demand mandatory third-party certification and tougher rules on conversion kits.