Clarification of banned personal electric vehicles
Request ID: FOI-0098-2324 Date published: 26 April 2023
You asked
Please can you clarify:
1. What vehicles are defined as electric scooters and unicycles? i.e. Are all personal electric vehicles excluding e-bikes, wheelchairs and mobility scooters banned?
2. Are non-folding e-bikes on allowed on the same services as non-folding bike?
3. Why are lithium powered mobility scooters and wheelchairs considered less of a fire risk?
4. Are large lithium batteries considered “hazardous” or “inflammable”? is there a distinction between on their own and in devices?
5. What is TFLs definition of “hazardous” and “inflammable”?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-0098-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 7th April 2023 asking for information about personal electric vehicles.
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. Your questions are answered in turn below:
Question 1: What vehicles are defined as electric scooters and unicycles? i.e. Are all personal electric vehicles excluding e-bikes, wheelchairs and mobility scooters banned?
Answer: E-scooters are classed as a powered vehicle (technically a Personal Light Electric Vehicle), and therefore unlike the e-bike/powered wheelchair/mobility scooter, they are classed as a motor vehicle. Not all personal electric vehicles are included in the pan-TfL ban - ebikes are not included, and nor are recognised mobility aids such as powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters which are strictly regulated in terms of their build quality and safety standards.
The main basis for TfL banning of privately owned e-scooters and e-unicycles on the TfL network is because of the fire risk associated with Lithium-Ion batteries. These batteries are very common and are present in a number of devices. There is a fire risk through the use of these batteries, and this fire risk increases greatly when the battery is damaged or has been tampered with in order to improve the performance of the e-scooter - which is a common root cause in e-scooter fires. As privately owned e-scooters are not built to a safety standard which addresses this fire risk, TfL has banned them from the TfL network.
Question 2: Are non-folding e-bikes on allowed on the same services as non-folding bike?
Question 3) Why are lithium powered mobility scooters and wheelchairs considered less of a fire risk?
Answer: Mobility scooters and wheel chairs that have lithium ion batteries are generally subject to more defined and higher quality manufacturing standards, and the batteries are usually positioned in a place where they are less likely to be damaged, and so are less of a fire risk. There are a number of manufacturing, safety and build quality regulations that govern mobility aids – but there are no standards or regulations around the build quality and safety of privately owned e-scooters.
Question 4) Are large lithium batteries considered “hazardous” or “inflammable”? is there a distinction between on their own and in devices?
Answer: There is a level of risk inherent in the use of lithium ion batteries of all sizes. However, from a safety point of view across our services, we need to look at a number of factors which mitigate this risk such as build quality and recognised safety standards which govern this. We know that there is a higher level of risk associated with non-regulated battery construction and when these non-regulated batteries are being charged.
Question 5) What is TFLs definition of “hazardous” and “inflammable”?
Answer: We define ‘hazardous’ as: ‘Anything with the potential to cause harm, a feature which introduces the possibility of injury, loss or damage’,and ‘flammable’ as ‘capable of being easily set on fire” and “inflammability” as “the extent to which a material will burn with a flame”.
If this is not the information you are looking for 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,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
