E-scooter fire further raises safety concerns

17 Dec 2021

The fire risk of e-scooters has been thrust into the spotlight again after one began burning in a home in Bristol this week.

The Voi e-scooter was in a house when smoke started billowing from it. The fire brigade was called, identifying its lithium ion battery as the source of the fire following an electrical fault.

Voi, who run a long-term test fleet in the city, confirmed the fire and began an investigation into its causes.

A spokesman described it as "an isolated, one-off incident". The firm subsequently asked all users of its scooters to keep them outside as a precaution.

The Voi scheme rents e-scooters to people for £35 a month as part of a West of England Combined Authority (WECA) trial into their use and potential to reduce city centre pollution.

The news follows a decision by Transport for London (TfL) to ban all private e-scooters and e-unicycles from its network of tubes, trains and buses.

It warned that a fire in an enclosed space could result in "significant harm" to passengers and staff.

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