The last couple of years has seen a significant increase in fires caused by Lithium Ion batteries bursting into flames. The most deadly have happened when people bring their ebike or similar into their home for charging and/or safe keeping. Having dedicated charging areas will help mitigate this risk. However, if the charging area is within the building or right next to the building fire prevention measures need to be built in. It is therefore suggested to add a requirement for fire safety evaluation of charging areas taking into account the unique threat of Lithium Ion battery fires.
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David Reed
Founder & CEOSustainMobility
3 thumbs up
April 30, 2024 - 11:14 am
Birgette,
You're right, it's absolutely important to design or redesign spaces for safe charging of e-bikes and e-scooters. My organization has put together a guide for facility considerations for building owners/developers/managers, and references your organization and other's guidance on this topic. It is also important to make a distinction for why battery fires are happening and what types of batteries are causing them (i.e. aftermarket batteries used by delivery workers that have not gone through the UL certification process). It's important to carve out space for secure parking and charging of e-bikes and e-scooters to encourage and incentivize more sustainable transportation connected to our built environment, and also not lump the issue of battery fires all in one. Safe charging rooms, battery lockers with fire suppression, and other measures should all be taken to strike the right balance of encouragement and safety. LEED points should be awarded to buildings that make these future-proofing investments.