The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has revealed that almost 40 per cent of e-bike fires are caused by conversion kits. 

The news follows the publication of Electrical Safety First’s Battery breakdown report, in which the organisation called for a ban on universal chargers for e-bike and e-scooters, stating they could increase the likelihood of catastrophic lithium-ion battery fires. 

The charity warned that there is an increasing amount of people using chargers that are not compatible with the voltage of their e-bikes, which could prompt a self-heating chemical reaction called thermal runway. 

This year there have been three deaths in London from battery fires. Moreover, in 2023 alone, LFB recorded 93 e-bike and 18 e-scooter fires – averaging one every two days.

“It’s approaching about 40 per cent of fires [that] have been down to conversion kits,” said Charlie Pugsley, assistant commissioner at the LFB. “If you don’t have it fitted safely, then it’s not a...