You are probably aware that increasing use is being made by delivery drivers of e-bikes to deliver items to customers. In particular, they are proving popular modes of transport for couriers in cities and in particular in London.

One of the reasons why the likes of e-bikes are being used more is due to the fact that it is easier to maneuver such a vehicle in and out of busy traffic and avoid getting caught up in lengthy traffic jams which is something that often occurs when driving a van.

Typically, e-bikes are being used by businesses that deliver take-away food such as pizzas and burgers. It is in the pizza firm’s best interest to deliver food as quickly as possible for more than one reason. For instance, the food arrives warm, it is delivered on time ad it means that the business is able to deliver more items as their courier drivers are not getting stuck in traffic and can return to the business on schedule to then set off on another delivery.

However, according to the London Fire Brigade, it has attended in excess of 158 e-scooter and e-bike fires from the 1st January 2022 to the 31st March 2023. Regrettably, such incidents have resulted in 78 people being injured with a number of deaths. Apparently, so far this year, the Brigade has attended a fire involving an e-scooter or e-bike an average of once every couple of days.

A fire involving one of these types of vehicles is most likely to happen whilst such a vehicle is being charged up.

The London Fire Brigade has issued some safety tips that can be found on their website but some of those tips are that you should never tamper or modify a battery, the correct charger should be used, before starting to charge a battery make sure it is cool and as soon as the charging of the battery is completed make sure you unplug the charger.

So, if you are a delivery driver who uses the likes of an e-bike, do take care when charging it.