E-bike battery malfunction in North Vancouver prompts warning for consumers
Global News
District of North Vancouver firefighters responded to their first-ever call about an e-bike battery this week, and say it's lucky the malfunction didn't lead to a serious fire.
A close call for residents of a North Shore home this week turned out to be a first of its kind for District of North Vancouver firefighters, and a potential warning for electric bike owners.
Fire crews were called to the home in the Blueridge neighbourhood around midday Tuesday, where a charging e-bike battery malfunctioned.
Assistant DNV Fire Chief Scott Ferguson said the device produced plenty of smoke, but that crews were able to take care of it before created a dangerous fire.
“Any kind of electrical device, we say it could have spread further than it did,” he told Global News. “We were lucky in this case that there was minor damage to the house itself.”
While it was the first time DNV fire rescue was called to a potential e-bike fire, the number of fires linked to the devices around the world has been climbing.
In October, Consumer Reports found there had been 75 e-bike fires in New York City in 2021 alone, resulting in 72 injuries and three deaths, while the U.K.’s Evening Standard reports there were at least 130 similar battery fires in London last year.
James Wilson, president of Obsession Bikes in Vancouver, said its difficult to assess what might have caused an e-bike to catch fire without seeing the specific components.
But he believes lower-quality equipment from non-reputable manufacturers or bikes using a mishmash of components are likely culprits.