Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms EV Insurance

When new regulations require damaged EV cars in repair shops to be isolated from other vehicles because of the risk of fire, when electric bikes are going up in flames of their own accord, there is something fundamentally wrong in the design/safety of the vehicles.

We are now seeing reports there aren't enough skilled mechanics/fitters to service and work on them, the UK electricity distribution network is having pylons catching fire because they can't deal with the increased capacity/demand, there is something fundamentally wrong with this transport solution. Hopefully, alternate solutions come to the fore before we create an economic and social disaster waiting to happen.

John - bear in mind that the e-bikes going on fire are cheap Chinese efforts - problem is that they are not properly checked on import - yes, they are death traps, but don’t tar all quality. Ebikes with the same brush - your trading standards lot need to step up their game!!

Robbie ... the same stories of e-bike related fires appear in Ireland as much as the UK, with the same warnings issued from Dublin as from London to avoid cheap imports in their respective states ... UK rules remain the same (bar references to the EU) as those in Europe ... I doubt the dodgy import brigade operate much differently whichever European country they sell in.

Buying known quality from a respected seller is very good advice for such a potentially dangerous thing ... I'm amazed there isn't more regulation around charging (especially in shared blocks and inside living accomodation ) ... people will learn I guess ... most wouldn't bring gallons of petrol up in the lift to refuel their motorcycle in their tenth floor flat ... eventually it will dawn on the e-bike brigade that charging in your bedroom is a bad idea

K..

You are very right - a consignment of Chinese bikes were recently impounded here as the batteries were sub standard and were reckoned to be a fire hazard. My and my wife’s bikes are Riese and Muller German ones which are very expensive but the standard of kit is reassuringly high. You get what you pay for!!!
Cheers!

Robbie and K,

I agree most of the issues relate to cheap Chinese imports, but how many of the batteries used in European produced bikes and cars are sourced and produced in China, they have the global market stranglehold on rechargeable battery production at the moment. Putting bikes to one side, the same potential issue may exist with the growing numbers of cheaper Chinese EV brand car sales in Europe. The EU is quite right to investigate Chinese EV car imports, although on the grounds of state subsidies

I did smile at the reference to petrol in tenth floor flat, well that would be quite an advance in adoption of technology for some places like Ballyfermot and Tallaght (North Dublin) where they still may keep horses in their flats and house.....remember the Commitments movie scene with the the horse in the lift.

John - it’s the battery management system that’s the real issue - mine are German made by Bosch and well tested - the Chinese cheap ones are very suspect. I guess there are decent ones, at a price- but the ones going on fire seem to be cheap knock-offs.
As for horses in flats in Ballymun - largely myths for film effect. Wouldn’t put it past them though!!

Cheers!

I seem to remember a few years back watching an Irish produced TV programme on the horses kept on the tower block estate . Thanks it was Ballymun, I couldn't remember.

Slightly off topic, I remember as a young lad when my Grandfather's building company won a contract to completely refurbish and put in new central heating in a local council estate in the Midlands called the Lost City (after the pub on the estate) where horses were kept in the bathroom upstairs (hay in the bath tub) and no sooner they put the copper and fittings in for the central heating, much would be stripped out overnight, even with security on site. The worst I saw was one house, all the floorboards except for a small walkway in each room ( the beds and sofa sat on the joists) had been ripped up and burnt for heating during the winter. How the other half live!

Yes I appreciate much is to do with the battery management, however there have been a few fires of damaged EV's in for repair that have subsequently caught fire, and hence the new regulations requiring isolation of them from other vehicles by some 5 metres whilst in the repair shop. The recent ship fires with EV's on board which were difficult to put out, clearly identifies a real risk with EV vehicles. So I'm not surprised that as more real life experience and resultant inevitable accidents and EV repair costs have seen massive hikes in insurance premiums as the Industry comes to terms with some of the down sides of EV's ownership on our roads.

It's all motor insurance is escalating exponentially in the last 2-3 months, a guy I know his old TT Quattro had tripled on his renewal (full no claims etc no new claims etc) our multi car policy is up for renewal in January so not looking forward to it.

One point to note in all this is that some underwriters change their risk profile on a whim. Others have very precise target clients. My Disco is insured with Saga. When I changed the car in November last year, Saga were again best value - but with a different underwriter. The original asked for a 50% uplift to cover the newer car. Eventual result was a 20% uplift which was OK - especially as the value had changed substantially.