Bobby Lee, 74, suffered severe burns and died from the effects of toxic smoke after the blaze broke out in his home, an inquest heard.
In August 2023, the London Fire Brigade revealed 40% of e-bike fires are caused by conversion kits (Image: Getty)
A coroner has issued a warning about the dangers of e-bike conversion kits after a pensioner died during a house fire caused by an over-charged battery.
Bobby Lee, 74, suffered severe burns and died from the effects of toxic smoke after the blaze broke out in his home, an inquest heard.
The fatal fire was caused by the ‘over-charging’ of a mountain bike that had been transformed via a ‘conversion kit’ to operate as an electrically powered bike.
E bikes are increasingly popular and kits allow people to attach motors to standard bicycles.
However, according to Ian Potter, assistant coroner for Inner North London, Mr Lee was one of three people to die in the capital last year as a result of a house fire started by faulty batteries for e bikes or e scooters.
The vehicles were responsible for starting more than 150 house fires in London in the last year alone, he said.
Now, he has issued a warning over the lack of regulation on e-bike conversions and the potential risk of fire when charging them.
In his Prevention of Future Deaths report, he said a fire broke out at Mr Lee’s address just before 7am on July 6 last year.
Unfortunately, efforts from Mr Lee’s family to safely evacuate him from his ground floor bedroom were unsuccessful and the pensioner was later pronounced dead at home.
It was said that Mr Lee died as a result of ‘severe burn injuries’ and the inhalation of ‘toxic smoke’.
Evidence given by London Fire Brigade’s Fire Investigation Team revealed the fire was started by the over-charging of a lithium-ion battery attached to an e-bike.
They said the bike’s charger – which was not suitable for the battery’s voltage – had not been fitted with a ‘battery management system’ aimed at reducing the risk of over-charging.
According to Mr Potter, the bike – which was bought second hand by another member of the pensioner’s household – was a regular mountain bike that had been fitted with a ‘conversion kit’ to transform it into an e-bike.
Conversion kits generally range from £100 to £200 and contain motors, batteries and wheels, to convert regular bikes into e-bikes.
London Fire Brigade’s Fire Investigation Team said Mr Lee’s death was one of three in London caused by a fire starting by faulty lithium-ion batteries for e-bikes or e-scooters.
They also said by mid-December last year, some 169 fires were caused by these ‘electric powered personal vehicles’.
In the case of Mr Lee, the ‘set of circumstances’ created by the over-charging of the battery led to the breakout of the fatal fire.
Now, the coroner has issued a warning over the dangers of e-bike conversion kits and e-bike batteries that are ‘not of sufficient quality’ or ‘of an appropriate standard’.
Mr Potter said the batteries sold as part of ‘e-bike conversion kits’ tend to be of a ‘significantly inferior quality and construction’ in comparison to the battery packs created and installed on purpose built e-bikes.
The coroner also highlighted how the majority of these conversion kits are sold without a charger, which increases the risk of an unsuitable one being purchased and used.
Using a charger with a different voltage, according to Mr Potter, can create a build up of heat which can quickly result in the emission of sparks.
In August last year, the London Fire Brigade revealed 40% of e-bike fires are caused by conversion kits.
The brigade also said ‘fires involving lithium batteries are the fastest growing fire risk in London’ and damaged batteries can start ‘incredibly ferocious fires’.
In light of Mr Lee’s death, the coroner has written to the Chief Executive Officer of the Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) warning about the dangers of charging e-bikes.
He said: “There is currently no British or European standard specific to e-bike conversion kits and/or chargers and consequently:
“It is relatively easy for people to buy, particularly from online marketplaces, e-bike conversion kits and/or lithium-ion batteries that are not of sufficient quality or otherwise not of an appropriate standard to charge safely.
“There is an increased risk of people mixing and matching lithium-ion batteries with chargers that carry a different voltage rating.
“It is clear to me though that there is a substantial existing, ongoing and future risk of further deaths while it continues to be the case that there are no, or insufficient, controls and/or standards governing the sale in the UK of lithium-ion batteries and chargers for electric powered personal vehicles and e-bike conversion kits.”
In his report, Mr Potter also recognised previous prevention of future death reports of a ‘similar nature’ following e-bike related deaths.
Just two months before Mr Lee’s house was engulfed in flames, 41 year old Mizanur Rahman died after his east London flat was set ablaze due to faulty lithium ion batteries.
At the time, a coroner warned the OPSS of the ‘increased risk’ of fire caused by lithium-ion batteries
Speaking now, Mr Potter said: “I am aware, from past prevention of future death reports of a similar nature that the Office for Product Safety and Standards has planned to commission the British Standards Institute to prepare a fast-track standard to cover technical and safety standards for e-bike conversion kits to help manufacturers to comply with existing safety regulations.
“However, to my knowledge this piece of work has not yet been completed.”
The Office for Product Safety & Standards have 56 days to respond to Mr Potter’s recommendations.
