E-bike battery safety: charging, storage and the rules

Why e-bike batteries catch fire

E-bike batteries are packs of lithium-ion cells. A damaged, poorly made or badly charged cell can overheat, and the heat spreads to the cells around it. Once that starts it produces intense heat and toxic smoke very quickly, and it is hard to stop.

Fires like this are becoming more common. Fire and Rescue NSW recorded 165 lithium-ion battery fires in 2022 and 332 in 2025, and fires involving e-bikes, e-scooters and similar devices rose from 23 in 2022 to 93 in 2024. In Victoria, firefighters attend almost one lithium-ion battery fire a day.

How to charge safely

• Use the charger that came with your e-bike. If you need a new one, buy the manufacturer's own or certified compatible equipment. Bosch says to use only original Bosch chargers.
• Charge while you are home and awake. Fire services advise against charging overnight or while you are out; as Fire and Rescue NSW points out, you cannot smell smoke while you sleep.
• Let the battery cool down after a ride before you charge it, and unplug it when it is full. A timer on the power point helps.
• Charge on a hard, non-flammable surface such as concrete or tiles, never on a bed, sofa or carpet.
• Charge and store the bike in a garage, shed or carport if you can, away from exits and living areas, and fit a smoke or heat alarm where you charge.
• For everyday use, Bosch suggests keeping the battery between 20% and 80% charge.

Storing your battery

• Keep batteries out of direct sun, away from heat, and out of parked cars.
• Storing the bike for a few weeks or more? Bosch recommends taking the battery off at 30% to 60% charge and keeping it somewhere cool (0 to 20°C), ventilated and fitted with a smoke alarm.
• Never open or repair a battery yourself. Fire and Rescue NSW says repairs are a job for professionals.

Warning signs: stop using the battery

Stop using the battery and keep it away from the house if you notice any of these:

• Swelling or bulging, cracks or dents.
• Leaking, a strong or unusual smell, smoke or vapour.
• Getting hot while charging or riding, or changing colour.
• Popping or hissing sounds.
• It has been in water or near a fire.

NSW guidance is to keep a damaged battery outside, at least 3 metres from buildings; Queensland's fire service says at least 10 metres from anything flammable. Then take it to a battery drop-off that accepts damaged batteries (see below).

If a battery is smoking or on fire

1. Get everyone out. Close the door behind you if it is safe to do so.
2. Call 000.
3. Stay away from the smoke: it is toxic.

Do not try to fight it yourself. Fire and Rescue NSW says extinguishers and fire blankets are unlikely to fully put out a lithium-ion battery fire and that it can reignite, and the ACCC says extinguishers made for lithium battery fires are for trained professionals. If a battery is damaged but not burning and it is safe to do so, Queensland's fire service advises unplugging it and moving it outside.

Buying a battery or charger: the rules

NSW has the strictest rules in the country. Since 1 February 2026, every e-bike, battery and charger sold by a business in NSW, new or second-hand, must be certified. Each needs its own safety approval mark: a code fixed permanently to the product, not just the box, and shown in online listings. If a seller swaps the battery or charger, the result is a new model that is not approved for sale. E-bike batteries must meet EN 50604-1, IEC 62133-2 or UL 2271.

Elsewhere, the ACCC says there is no national mandatory safety standard for lithium-ion batteries yet. The federal government has directed the ACCC to develop one for e-bikes, and Energy Safe Victoria is still considering its own rules. Until then:

• Buy batteries and chargers from a business that can show you the product's certification, and use genuine parts from your e-bike's manufacturer.
• NSW Fair Trading advises never using a second-hand battery.
• Check the ACCC's product recalls before you buy. Two e-bike batteries were recalled in 2025 for fire risk.

Recycling an old battery

• B-cycle drop-off points accept e-bike and e-scooter batteries: filter the locator for e-bike batteries, stick tape over the terminals, and keep to the 5 kg limit.
• Damaged or swollen batteries must not go to B-cycle points. Take them to your council, a waste transfer station or an accredited collector.
• In NSW, removable e-bike batteries up to 20 kg can go free to Community Recycling Centres and Household Chemical CleanOut events.
• Never put a battery in a household, recycling or hard-waste bin: batteries thrown out with the rubbish keep starting garbage truck fires.

Taking an e-bike on public transport

• NSW: since 1 November 2025, converted e-bikes and their batteries are banned from Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink and Metro carriages and platforms, with a $400 fine. Factory-built e-bikes are allowed on trains. Bikes are not allowed on buses.
• Victoria: e-bikes must not be switched on, ridden or charged on public transport or in ticketed areas, and modified bikes, such as those with hub-motor conversion kits or batteries strapped on with tape, cable ties or hook-and-loop, are banned.
• Queensland: bikes are allowed on South East Queensland trains in the first and last carriages of six-car trains, two per carriage, but not on buses or trams (folded bikes in a bag excepted).

Common questions