"Personal Light Electric Vehicle (PLEV) Battery Safety Research" was prepared for the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS)

By James McLaggan, Mark Urbanowski, and Prof. James Marco of Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick, and published in January 2025.

Here's a summary of the key points from the report:

Focus: The report investigates the safety risks and hazards associated with batteries and chargers used in Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs), which include e-bikes, e-scooters, and conversion kits.

Context: The PLEV market has grown rapidly, and these vehicles often use lithium-ion batteries, which can pose fire and explosion risks due to thermal runaway. The report aims to provide an evidence base for OPSS to improve safety.

Methodology: The research included:

• Literature review of scientific papers and reports on PLEV fires.
• Consultations with stakeholders from emergency services, safety groups, manufacturers, retailers, standards organisations, and battery experts.
• Review of UK legislation and international standards.
• Inspection and testing of various e-bike and e-scooter batteries available in the UK market.

Key Findings:

• PLEV fires, particularly involving e-bikes, have increased, with many incidents occurring indoors during charging.
• Issues with battery quality, manufacturing processes, and battery management systems (BMS) effectiveness were identified.
• There are differences in the stringency of battery safety requirements between standards for e-bikes and e-scooters.
• Abuse testing showed a correlation between the price of PLEV batteries and their safety outcomes, with lower-priced batteries often lacking essential safety features.

Recommendations: The report includes numerous suggestions for actions to improve PLEV safety, including:

• Consistency in legislation and standards applicable to PLEV batteries.
• Detailed improvements to standards, including testing methodologies and functional safety.
• Collection of real-world incident data.
• Consumer advice and education.
• Increased obligations and sanctions for companies selling PLEVs and their batteries.

The report highlights the significant safety risks associated with PLEV batteries and provides comprehensive recommendations to reduce the frequency and severity of PLEV fires. It emphasises the need for a multi-faceted approach involving government, standards bodies, manufacturers, and consumers.

Here are some key details from the document:

Purpose: The study investigates whether creating a harmonised European PMD regulation is feasible and desirable.

Objectives: The study aims to:

• Develop a classification of existing PMDs.
• Analyse market share and the rise of various PMDs.
• Analyse crash data involving PMDs.
• Assess the impact of fragmented legislation on market development.
• Develop regulatory options for common technical safety design requirements.

Methodology: The study involved stakeholder engagement, a review of national and European collision data and research, and a review of relevant regulations and standards.

Regulatory Options: Four regulatory options were proposed:

1. Do nothing.
2. Amend Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 to include PMDs.
3. Develop a bespoke approval system for specific groups of PMDs.
4. Develop a universal approval system for all PMDs.

Recommendation: Option 4, developing a universal approval system for all PMDs, is recommended.

PMD Definition: For the study, PMDs include any lightweight machine for carrying people or goods that is wholly or partially propelled by an electric motor and is currently excluded from the scope of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013. Examples include one-wheel boards, powered unicycles, hoverboards, e-scooters, and electric power-assisted cycles (EPACs).

Stakeholder Engagement: A wide variety of stakeholders were engaged, including representatives from national and local authorities, manufacturers, importers, distributors, industry bodies, trade associations, and operators of shared mobility services.

Collision Data: The study includes an analysis of collision data from the CARE database and other sources, focusing on fatalities and injuries involving PMDs and related vehicles.

PMD Inventory: The study includes an inventory of various types of PMDs available on the market, with details on power, speed, mass, and payload.

In summary, the document is a comprehensive study exploring the regulatory landscape for personal mobility devices in Europe, aiming to provide recommendations for harmonised rules to improve safety and support the growth of micro-mobility.

The file "TRL UK Study technical-research-into-construction-standards-for-e-scooters.pdf" is a project report titled "Technical research into construction standards for e-scooters" by TRL and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick. It was prepared for the Department for Transport (DfT), Standards (IVS) and published in June 2024.
Here's a summary of the key points:

Purpose: The project aimed to provide guidance to the DfT on technical regulations for e-scooters, specifically if their use in public places were to become legal in the UK.

Methodology: The research involved a literature review, stakeholder engagement, physical testing, and theoretical analysis. It was divided into four main work packages:

1. Review of literature and international regulations and standards
2. Analysis of technical requirements for e-scooters (stability, structural integrity, battery safety, motor power, etc.)
3. Integration with vehicles for disabled people and the effect of e-scooters on disabled road users
4. Sustainability, environmental impact, and lifecycle

Key Recommendations: The report provides several key recommendations, including:

• Permitting e-scooters with or without seats and with 2 or more wheels to improve accessibility.
• Adopting practical performance-based tests for e-scooter stability.
• Updating structural integrity requirements to align with real-world use cases.
• Fitting e-scooters with a system to limit maximum speed.
• Considering the implications of permitting e-scooters on footways for pedestrian safety.
• Regulating the laden mass of e-scooters.
• Updating battery requirements to match those of e-bikes and revising battery standards.
• Limiting e-scooter acceleration.
• Introducing measures to prolong the life of e-scooters for sustainability.
• Suggesting no strong case for different technical regulations for shared and privately owned e-scooters.

This report provides a detailed analysis and set of recommendations to inform the development of technical regulations for e-scooters in the UK, covering aspects of safety, accessibility, and sustainability.