Detailed information on battery failure in personal electronic vehicles

The request was partially successful.

Dear Transport for London,

On 09 December 2021, TFL banned all e-scooters and e-unicycles from TFL networks and vehicles, citing safety concerns. However, very little information was provided. Could you please provide:

1. How many personal electric transport vehicles TFL witnessed experiencing dangerous battery failure,
2. The nature of the battery failure
3. The make and model of the vehicle in each case, and
4. The make and model of battery in each case

Yours faithfully,

D

FOI, Transport for London

Dear Daniel

 

Our ref: FOI-2489-2122

 

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 30
January 2022.

 

Section 8(1) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) sets out the
requirements of a valid request for information and states that a request
must, amongst other things, “state the name of the applicant.” As a full
name has not been provided we are unable to treat this as a valid request.
If you could please provide your full name and then we will process your
request.

 

Furthermore to your actual questions, can you please confirm if by
‘personal electric transport vehicles’, you meant specifically e-scooters
and e-unicycles?

 

If we hear nothing further from you by 22 February your response will be
treated as a new request.

 

In the meantime, if you have any queries or would like to discuss your
request, please feel free to contact me.

 

You may also find this TfL Press Release useful
[1]https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-...

 

Yours sincerely

 

Eva Hextall

 

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

 

 

 

show quoted sections

Dear FOI,

My full name is Daniel Fadil.

You are correct in assuming I am referring to e-scooters and e-unicycles.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Yours sincerely,

Daniel Fadil

FOI, Transport for London

Dear Daniel Fadil

 

Thank you for providing your name and clarification.

 

We will aim to issue a response by 25 February 2022 in accordance with the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy.

 

We publish a substantial range of information on our website on subjects
including operational performance, contracts, expenditure, journey data,
governance and our financial performance. This includes data which is
frequently asked for in FOI requests or other public queries. Please check
[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.

 

We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the
[2]www.tfl.gov.uk website. We will not publish your name and we will send
a copy of the response to you before it is published on our website.

 

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

 

 

show quoted sections

FOI, Transport for London

1 Attachment

Dear Daniel Fadil

 

TfL Ref: FOI-2489-2122

 

Thank you again for your request which we received on 30 January 2022.

 

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can
confirm that we hold the information you require. You asked:

 

1. How many personal electric transport vehicles (e-scooters &
e-unicycles) TFL witnessed experiencing dangerous battery failure

2. The nature of the battery failure

3. The make and model of the vehicle in each case, and 4. The make and
model of battery in each case

 

Two fires occurred on the TfL network in 2021. One involved an e-scooter,
the other an e-unicycle. The investigation into the fires was carried out
by the London Fire Brigade (LFB), which confirmed that both fires were
caused by defective lithium-ion batteries where a cell had ruptured
causing adjacent cells to rupture.

 

Details of the makes and models concerned (as provided to us by the LFB)
are below. In each case, we have not been provided with any details of the
battery:

 

Parsons Green London Underground station fire on 01 November 2021
(e-scooter)

Appliance Manufacturer: Not known

Model: Not known

 

Stanmore London Underground station fire on 26 October 2021 (e-unicycle)

Appliance Manufacturer: Kebye

Model: Not known

 

The LFB provided information on e-scooter battery fires for Mayor’s
questions in December 2021, which can be accessed via the following link:
[1]https://www.london.gov.uk/questions/2021...

 

TfL has worked with media outlets to publicise the ban and as a result it
has been extensively reported on television and radio, as well as in the
press and on social media. In doing so, we have sought to highlight the
concerns over e-scooter and e-unicycle battery safety, particularly with
regard to the toxic smoke that is emitted when these batteries ignite (see
our [2]press release issued at the time). In addition to this media
activity, we have sent an email to all registered Oyster card holders
advising of the ban, and at stations we have made – and continue to make –
regular announcements on the public address system that complement the
posters detailing the prohibition.

 

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable
to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to
appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would
like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

 

 

 

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References

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1. https://www.london.gov.uk/questions/2021...
2. https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-...
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