After one of their machines started burning in a home, an e-scooter brand stopped its Bristol pilot program.
Firefighters raced to the home of the Voi UK resident after it was seen billowing smoke.
Due to an electric fault, its lithium battery caught fire in Tiarnan Power’s house. Voi UK is now telling long-term tenants in Bristol not to use their machines and leave them outside.
BBC’s Mr Power said that he had called Voi, and was told to dial 911. However, the streets were completely covered by smoke. This just goes to show how fortunate I was. It would have been disastrous if I hadn’t come in or if I had fallen asleep.
Avon Fire and Rescue Service flushed the Voi and got rid of the battery.
Shane Clarke, a homeowner in Bristol was shocked to discover over 100 electronic scooters outside his home. The official parking space was created without him even knowing.
Jack Samler is the General Manager of Voi UKI. He stated to BBC, “We experienced smoke from an e-scooter in Bristol that was being rented for a long term earlier in this month. It was an isolated incident that occurred with one of our long term rental scooters.
“We asked all scooter owners to leave their scooters outside while we evaluated the situation. We have refunded every user for inconvenience they caused during December.
“We are in continuous contact with our users, and have informed them that their vehicles are being serviced to prevent any accidents.”
“Many people are using it again.” Users should soon have the opportunity to use our long-term rentals service, which allows them to live in an affordable way.
Voi was part long-term leasing scheme, separate from the e-scooters available to use in Bristol.
Trials of the scheme are being conducted by West of England Combined Authority, (WECA), until 2022. Investigations into the causes of this electrical fault are ongoing.
London Fire Brigade supports the decision to ban escooters on Tube. This follows a fire on last month’s Parsons Green train.
Voi E-scooters had been used in a Bristol trial, but were stopped after an explosion.
These vehicles are not new to the news. Following a fire alarm at Parsons Green underground station, which resulted in one victim suffering smoke inhalation, they were banned from London Tube.
According to the London Fire Brigade, they had responded to more than 50 fires that involved ebikes and scooters in the year so far. This is more than the total for 2020.
Many times, they are caused by defective third-party battery packs that were purchased on the internet at a low price and which do not meet safety standards.
Investigators determined that the fires from the tube were “particularly ferocious”. While these flames are more common at home, they can pose significant risk when kept in escape routes like corridors or hallways.
In April, an incredulous homeowner in Bristol was awoken to see over 100 electronic scooters outside his home. It had been made an official spot for parking without him even knowing.
The 60-year-old Baffled Shane Clarke opened his door to discover an e-scooter heap outside of his home in an exclusive suburb in the capital.
Later, the council removed all scooters from an area near an open space.