4 DECEMBER 2023
Sunday’s e-bicycle battery fire in an apartment is the most recent of several this year.
OCN, which represents and supports apartment owners and residents, has been researching best practice in protecting its members from this developing risk.
“We have engaged with experts including EV Firesafe, an Australian company funded by the Department of Defence, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), the Electric Vehicle Council and taken advice from the ACCC report into lithium-ion battery (Li-ion) fire risk.
“We’re collating all we’ve learned so owners corporations can put practical and effective policies in place to protect their buildings and residents. We’ve engaged a specialist strata lawyer to develop a by-law and code of conduct to put this into effect.” said Karen Stiles, OCN’s executive director.
In the first instance this new by-law and code of conduct will be available on the OCN website, ocn.org.au, for our members.
We are planning a webinar early in 2024, which will include experts from EV FireSafe and the ICA to introduce this new by-law and seek feedback on a wide range of implementation issues.
OCN Strongly supports the ACCC report on lithium-ion batteries https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Lithium-ion%20Batteries%20report_3_0.pdf and, in conjunction with the Electric Vehicle Council, has on 24 November responded to the NSW Government Parliamentary inquiry into electric and hybrid vehicle batteries – https://ocn.org.au/ocn-submissions/
The evidence in the ACCC Report and from EV Firesafe is clear. There is minimal fire risk from road-registered electric vehicles, due to the high level of regulation and compliance. But there is a far higher risk associated with personal mobility devices, particularly with lower quality and cheaper devices. They also caution of the risk with damaged Li-ion batteries and suggest mitigation strategies. The OCN by-law summarises this risk and mitigation steps.