Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to help the London Fire Brigade tackle electrical vehicle fires.

To help reduce the fire risks associated with lithium-ion batteries in personal light electric vehicles (PLEVs), such as e-bikes and e-scooters, the Home Office has convened a working group of Government departments, the National fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and London Fire Brigade. As part of this group, the Home Office working to raise awareness of safe use, storage and charging of PLEVs within residential buildings. With London Fire Brigade’s permission and cooperation, we have adapted the #ChargeSafe campaign materials for national use and made these available to fire and rescue services to support local engagement activity.

In addition, the Home Office is collaborating with the NFCC, on behalf of all fire and rescue services, to undertake electric vehicle fire safety research to gather scientific evidence on electric vehicle battery fires and associated firefighting tactics.