The number of people using electric bikes and scooters is rapidly growing. When charging these vehicles, it’s important to follow all the correct procedures and always take extra care.

Lithium batteries, which are used on e-scooters and e-bikes, are one of the fastest growing causes of fires. If a fire starts, it spreads very quickly and it can be extremely difficult to escape from, which is why you must never store or charge them in communal areas.

There are steps you can take when charging bikes/scooters to make sure that you don’t put yourself and others at risk.

If you own an electric bike or scooter, we ask that you:

• Don’t store or charge them in communal areas – as well as being a fire risk, storing bikes or scooters in communal areas of flats can block emergency fire exit routes meaning people won’t be able to evacuate the building safely in the event of a fire
• Don’t leave batteries charging when you’re asleep or while you’re away from your home
• Don’t charge them near combustible or flammable materials
• Don’t cover chargers or battery packs when charging – this could lead to overheating
• Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for charging your bike/scooter
• Only use chargers that are compatible with the battery
• Make sure your smoke alarms are working and inform us immediately if they aren’t.

Some of our blocks do have bike stores, and while we encourage you to use them for storing your bike, we ask that you don’t use these facilities for charging.

If your personal circumstances have changed and you now require a mobility scooter, please talk to us and we can review your situation to see if you qualify for an Independent Living Scheme. These facilities are all adapted to appropriately charge and store mobility scooters.

If you have any questions or queries around electric vehicle charging, please email us via info@tch.org.uk or call us on 01892 501480.