WELLINGTON NORTH – Wellington North deputy fire chief Marco Guidotti warns e-bike users against battery modifications. He says modifying these batteries can have dangerous consequences.
“People are modifying them [e-bikes] to make them charge faster,” Guidotti said. “And trust me, they’re violent when they burn.”
The call for more eco-friendly and sustainable transportation options has grown in the last few years and with it the market for electric vehicles.
According to Rize Bikes Canada, the Canadian e-bike market was valued at around $240 million in 2022 and is expected to exceed $345 million by 2025.
Rize Bikes Canada also states that 70,000 e-bikes were sold in Canada in 2022 with numbers projected to increase to over 100,000 units annually by next year.
With their growing popularity has come a new trend of battery modifications, with YouTube tutorials and TikTok pages dedicated to these modifications.
E-bike batteries can be modified to make the bike charge faster and move faster, with most of these modifications calling for non ULC (Canadian safety testing and certification) regulated batteries.
“The key is to keep it on the charging system that came with it,” said Guidotti. “Once you start modifying it the battery becomes unsafe.”
While e-bike lithium battery fires are not as common as other types of fires, Guidotti says he has responded to a call locally that involved a modified e-bike lithium battery.
“It was not an approved battery that came from overseas,” said Guidotti. “It was a brand-new battery that was modified and it caught fire in their living room; thankfully nobody was home.”
Guidotti says while e-bike lithium battery fires are not ideal in any situation, he says apartment buildings pose a larger risk than houses.
“If you have a home, that’s one thing, but when you’re in an apartment building you have to look at all the other people you’re going to affect if something happens,” said Guidotti.
“Apartment buildings don’t have a place to store e-bikes and scooters, and the most common place is right in front of the door, which poses a huge safety concern.”
Information on safe e-bike usage and battery care can be found on the Health Canada website.
