China’s Ministry of Emergency Management calls to renew safety standards for electric bicycles due to increased numbers of fires caused by such bikes

Date: 14:30, 21-05-2018.

Beijing. May 21. Silkroadnews - Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of Emergency Management Sun Huashan urged to renew the national safety standards used in manufacturing electric bikes and set designated areas in communities to park such bikes, as the country has witnessed a rising number of fires caused by them, China Daily reports.
China is the world’s leader in manufacturing and use of electric bicycles, and the number of fires caused by these vehicles has increased within the recent years, Sun said.
“The frequent occurrence of fires caused by electric bikes, especially ones with casualties, has resulted in a negative impact to people's safety, smooth economic development and social stability,” Sun quoted saying.
According to the Ministry, electric bicycles have caused more than 10,000 fires throughout the country from 2013 to 2017, in which more than 200 people died. Currently, the country uses more than 200 million electric bicycles.
For example, in Beijing over the past six months, there have been at least two tragedies related to electric bicycles. In December, a fire broke out in an apartment building in Chaoyang District caused by electric bike charging, five people were killed and nine more were seriously injured. In April, a fire in an electric bike store killed four people.
According to Sun, there should be special parking areas for such bikes constructed in the residential communities with special personnel patrolling and managing these areas.
The quality of electric bicycles is directly related to safety, and the current manufacturing standards needs to be renewed as soon as possible to standardize electrical circuits, install overload protection devices and use fireproof materials, he said.
It is necessary to start both open and covert investigations to suppress the illegal modification of electric vehicles.
The country will conduct a six-month campaign to test the safety of electric bicycles. At least six government departments, including quality supervision, construction and public security authorities, will participate in the campaign, the report reads.

Share the news: