According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) at least 19 people were killed and more than 20 others injured in fires involving e-scooters, e-bikes, self-balancing scooters (often referred to as hoverboards) and e-unicycles.
In a letter to more than 2,000 manufacturers and importers of the devices, CPSC said that failure to adhere to the UL safety standards (ANSI/CAN/UL 2272 – Standard for Electrical Systems for Personal E-Mobility Devices dated February 26, 2019, and ANSI/CAN/UL 2849 – Standard for Safety for Electrical Systems for eBikes dated June 17, 2022) could pose an unreasonable risk to consumers of fire and serious injury or death.
With adherence to the safety standards is voluntary, CPSC said that failure to follow the standards by manufacturers could result in “possible enforcement action.”
From January to the end of November 2022, there were at least 208 micromobility fire or overheating incidents in the US.
Of the 19 fatalities, five were associated with e-scooters, 11 with hoverboards and three with e-bikes. CPSC also received reports of at least 22 injuries treated in hospital emergency departments, with 12 involving e-scooters and 10 involving e-bikes over that same period of time.
In a statement UL Solutions said it welcomed the new guidance to manufacturers, noting that “the application of safety science research, development of consensus standards and independent, third-party certification to those standards remain among the best tools available to help mitigate potential hazards across new and legacy technologies.”