Fire Brigade warns about dangers of e-bikes purchased from online marketplaces
Posted on in Business News, Cycles News
A 
recent article in The Telegraph warned about the dangers that e-bikes can hold when purchased from online marketplaces, which may not meet correct safety standards.
A fire, believed to have been started by a malfunctioning battery, has destroyed the ground floor of a house in East London, with two women, a man and two children being taken to hospital after inhaling smoke during the incident.
Investigators for the London Fire Brigade (LFB) believe the fire started accidentally after the batteries of a converted e-bike malfunctioned.
The LFB said that knock-off chargers for e-bikes could be potentially hazardous and warned they were seeing a significant rise in the number of fires involving the devices.
They urged people not to charge bikes overnight as the fires caused by malfunctioning batteries could spread rapidly and with “ferocity”.
An LFB spokesman said: “It’s incredibly concerning that we are continuing to see a rise in incidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters.”
This year alone fire crews have already attended 32 fires involving e-bikes and another seven involving e-scooters.
So far in 2022, there have been a further 17 fires involving other lithium-ion batteries and last year, in total there were more than 100 fires in the capital involving lithium-ion batteries.
The spokesman continued: “When these batteries and chargers fail, they do so with ferocity and, because the fires develop so rapidly, the situation can quickly become incredibly serious.
“Lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to failure if incorrect chargers are used and there is a significant risk posed by e-bikes which have been converted, such as in this case.”
The spokesman said that the majority of the fires were started by e-bikes purchased from online marketplaces, which may not meet correct safety standards.
With customers being warned of the dangers of buying e-bikes from online marketplaces, it is important now for IBDs to appeal to the market and educate consumers on the importance of buying certified e-bikes from a responsible seller.
Help your customers to purchase their e-bike safely
As e-bikes from a reputable shop can often seem overly expensive to consumers, it is also important that IBDs present them with opportunities to spread the cost, through services such as retail finance.
Various consumer surveys show that customers are more likely to spend a higher amount if retail finance is sold correctly, and for many customers, having the option to spread the cost was the main reason the purchase was made.
Whilst retail finance certainly has the potential to be your business’s most powerful sales tool, unfortunately, it is not one that sells itself, so it is up to you and your staff to let every customer know the benefits of using finance in today’s economic climate.
The Retail Finance Training course will teach you and your staff how to encourage customers to make purchases, as well as maximising their spending through techniques such as financial promotion, Point of Sale (POS) and bundling.
The course retails for just £150 including VAT. Members of the ACT and ActSmart receive up to a 50% saving off the RRP.
To get started visit: indieretail.training.
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