Recently, a member reported an intense fire in an office/lab where an electric bike battery was being recharged. E-bikes are an increasingly popular form of low-cost, emission-free transport amongst university staff and students for travel to, from, and around campuses. However, as this incident suggests – and based on a plethora of other battery charging incidents – e-bikes are not a risk-free proposition, and therefore perfectly fit the profile of a tertiary education sector emerging risk.

In this emerging risk report, Simon Iliffe, Unimutual Risk Manager, examines when such vehicles comprise a risk and how campuses can best protect themselves and their students.