To strengthen knowledge about the safe charging of electric bike batteries, EWF commissioned RISE to conduct a fire test on an ECO Charge. The test results provide businesses, insurance companies, and property owners with a basis for assessing howECO Charge withstand fire in the event of thermal runaway.
The test results, which include documented temperature curves, show that ECO Charge BIKE withstands the effects of fire in a thermal rush.
Would you like to read the full report?
Book a short meeting with us, and we will show you the test results and answer questions based on the conditions of your property.
There is currently a lack of legislation and standardized solutions for how batteries for electric bicycles and electric scooters should be handled and charged in public environments.
At the same time, since January 1, 2024, the Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency's safety regulations require government agencies to handle lithium-ion batteries safely, which has made it more difficult for employees to use their company bicycles or private electric bicycles to commute to and from work.
The background to this is the fire risk that electric bike batteries can pose and the serious consequences that a fire could have.
When guidelines are lacking and responsibility is shared
In practice, many businesses find themselves in a decision-making process where the business, property owner, insurance company, and fire consultants need to reach an agreement. When there is a lack of shared test data or standardized solutions, this can be a complex and protracted process.
For workplaces where electric bikes are a natural part of many employees' everyday lives, banning electric bike batteries is not an optimal solution. The risk is that the batteries will still be brought in and charged "on the sly" or end up in areas that are not suitable.
It is up to each insured business to adapt to the change and take a position on the safe charging of electric bicycle batteries in its own operations. When guidelines are lacking, it is a matter of:
- where charging stations should be located
- what level of fire protection is reasonable
- how decisions are made when property owners, insurance companies, and fire protection specialists share responsibility
Different conditions for properties and a reasonable level of security
In organizations that operate in several different locations around the country, the issue of charging space may need to be resolved locally for each unit. The location and design need to be agreed with each property owner, often in conjunction with insurance companies and fire experts.
The properties may differ in both design and location, which affects how solutions for charging and storing electric bicycle batteries can be designed in practice.
Some facilities may have good lighting and natural supervision, while others are more secluded, where issues such as the risk of burglary and accessibility are more important. This means that each location needs to be assessed on its own merits, while at the same time the business wants to achieve a reasonable and equivalent level of security.
When there is a lack of information on which to base decisions, it can be difficult to determine where to draw the line between necessary safety requirements and practical solutions, which can lead to a lengthy process where decisions have to be made despite uncertainty.
The role of the fire consultant and a complex decision-making process
Fire consultants play a crucial role in fire protection and risk assessment. They provide professional reassurance in the decision-making process and are tasked with ensuring that solutions are safe.
When standards, verified test results, or clear references are lacking, recommendations often end up at the highest level of protection.
In practice, this can entail extensive and costly measures, such as requirements for E60-rated spaces, or interventions that are significantly greater than the risk warrants, where a more proportionate solution would have been sufficient.
This is where many businesses get stuck.
Fire testing of charging cabinets as an independent basis for decision-making
To strengthen knowledge about safe charging in public environments, RISE has conducted a fire test of an ECO Charge on behalf of EWF to investigate how charging cabinets withstand thermal runaway in an electric bicycle battery.
The purpose of the test is to verify the fire resistance of the charging cabinet and to be able to use the test results in dialogue between businesses, fire consultants, and property owners.
The test results, which include documented temperature curves, show that ECO Charge BIKE withstands the effects of fire during a thermal rush without suffering structural damage. The cabinet remained intact throughout the entire process, with only limited external damage in the form of soot around the ventilation openings.
“It is not a question of replacing the fire consultant’s assessment, but rather of creating a common basis for discussion. Together with current guidelines and recommendations, the RISE test provides verified documentation to work from,” says Karl Corneliusson, Business Area Manager at EWF.
Our experience from dialogues with authorities and organizations shows that the issue is complex when responsibility is divided and conditions vary greatly between different locations.
EWF has conducted the RISE test to provide independent data that can be used to support future assessments and dialogue.
RISE test results can be used to support:
- requirements specification and procurement
- dialogue between the business, property owner, fire consultant, and insurance company
- choice of solution level, location, and procedures
Would you like to read the entire RISE report?
Book a short meeting and we will go through it together and answer questions based on your environment.
Facts Full-scale test on OD Bike
- Location: RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB, Borås
- Date: December 5, 2025
- Purpose: To document how cabinets and batteries behave during a fire
- Cabinet model: OD BIKE 8 SSPL
- Battery charger: Egoing Crescent SR20 electric bike
- Battery: 11.6 Ah (418 Wh) Crescent Elina SR20 C8705186-E-11C
- Method: Fire test conducted by RISE with a focus on thermal runaway in the battery
Would you like to see fire tests of charging cabinets to help you in your decision-making process?
At the meeting, we will share the complete RISE report and show a film of the entire fire process, where you can see how ECO Charge BIKE withstands a thermal rush.
We will go through the test results, questions about placement, and your questions.
If you are facing similar questions regarding placement, level of protection, or the need for documentation to base your decision-making process on, please feel free to contact Business Area Manager Karl Corneliusson for further discussion.
