BatteryIQ commissioned OnePoll to survey the UK public to understand people’s attitudes to e-bikes, and their concerns about safety. 2000 adults across the country gave their opinions, and the results show that the UK is at a crossroads when it comes to E-Bike adoption, with high intent to purchase E-Bikes, but significant concerns about their safety.
Appetite for Active Travel
37% of people expressed an interest in owning an E-Bike, which on the surface is excellent news. Of those who are interested in E-Bike ownership, 84% of them indicated it would replace at least some car journeys, with 57% of people claiming they would replace all car journeys under 5 miles with electric assisted pedalling. This clearly demonstrates there is appetite amongst UK consumers to swap four wheels for two. However, UK E-Bike sales remain stubbornly low compared to more mature markets in mainland Europe, and it appears that worries about battery safety are part of the problem.
Battery Safety Concerns
Whilst battery fires are rare in high-quality products from known brands, the fear created by headlines from poor-quality or unregulated systems causing fires is widespread.
Awareness of battery fire risks is high; 75% of respondents were at least somewhat aware that e-bike batteries can cause fires. This is affecting people’s appetite to purchase e-bikes: 48% said headlines about battery fires would significantly put them off owning an e-bike, while 33% said they would be put off to some extent.
When asked about perceived risks with e-bike usage, 48% selected battery fires, which was deemed the biggest risk, over and above factors which are typically seen as the biggest risks with mechanical bike riding: traffic on roads (38%) and lack of dedicated cycling infrastructure (23%).
However, better safety measures could improve confidence, and people are prepared to pay extra to ensure their e-bikes are safe to use. 51% would pay more than £50 extra for a battery with a significantly lower fire risk. In addition, over a third (34%) said they would feel reassured by connected battery safety monitoring, such as that offered by BatteryIQ.
Conclusions
Nick Bailey, CEO of BatteryIQ, whose safety systems continuously monitor and share battery safety information to users and stakeholders commented “e-bike batteries involved in fires are generally low-cost, low-quality products lacking basic safety protection, or are bodged-together DIY batteries.
“Despite fires in good-quality batteries being rare, fears about them are very real and it’s slowing down a major shift toward cleaner, healthier transport.
“This research shows there is high demand for e-mobility in the UK, but that consumers want reassurance, transparency, and smarter safety technology. BatteryIQ gives riders confidence by monitoring battery health in real time and alerting them to issues before they become dangerous.”
