Friday 31 July 2026 Independent consumer product-safety briefings 15 articles in the archive

The FOLO-UP Briefing

Investigations, recall explainers and practical guidance that connect official safety evidence to the products people encounter online.

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Battery safety 8 min read

E-bike conversion kits: the battery, charger and compatibility risk

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An e-bike conversion is not just a motor added to a bicycle. The battery, charger, wiring, management system and installation have to work safely together—and online or second-hand parts can make that difficult to verify.

  • London firefighters attended 206 e-bike and e-scooter fires in 2025
  • 171 of those incidents involved e-bikes and 35 involved e-scooters
  • London Fire Brigade says battery failure, conversion kits and chargers are often identified in investigations
  • Separately purchased batteries and chargers can be incompatible
  • LFB says damaged, counterfeit, overcharged or incorrectly charged batteries can fail