A fire erupted at a scooter rental point in Yalta after an electric scooter exploded due to overheating caused by hot weather while on charge. The blaze was quickly brought under control, affecting only one square meter.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations (MCHS) issued a reminder about the hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries overheating. These batteries are highly flammable, with combustion temperatures potentially exceeding 1000 degrees Celsius. The MCHS advises against leaving them on charge for extended periods and storing them near heat sources.
Experts suggest that such incidents often result from improper use and unauthorized modifications to the devices. Russia`s south, including Yalta, and Moscow have been experiencing an anomalous heatwave.
Denis Balakirev, press secretary for the Whoosh scooter sharing service, commented on how rental scooters withstand weather conditions and how companies respond to incidents like this:
Denis Balakirev, press secretary for Whoosh service:
Specialists will investigate what happened in Yalta. However, based on all previous cases of electric scooter fires or explosions, we see that the cause is always the same: violation of the operating conditions of the scooter. To be more precise, it is damage to the battery casing. This is the most important thing to monitor if you own an electric scooter: do not allow unauthorized intervention in the design of the electric scooter, and, of course, make sure that all its components, primarily the battery casing, are undamaged. Unfortunately, some users, when purchasing private scooters, want to improve them, but not always technically competent people try to affect the device of electric scooters — they open them, make some changes, and such unauthorized intervention most often leads to negative incidents. As for kicksharing scooters, they are, of course, designed and constructed to work under conditions of multiple daily use and, naturally, to be constantly outdoors — meaning they are not afraid of heat, sun, or, conversely, humidity or cold. And, of course, kicksharing services very carefully monitor the technical condition of the electric scooter — they undergo regular technical inspections. Moreover, if something starts to work not as it should in an ideal state, we immediately see this in our system and, accordingly, have the opportunity to pick up the scooter from the street, move it to a service center, and fix the breakdown there. Based on previous years` experience, riding a scooter in hot, even extremely hot weather, is actually more pleasant — because of the wind, because there is no stuffiness, unlike public transport, for example. However, it is obvious that if you approach an electric scooter and see any technical intervention in its design — maybe it is dented or very badly scratched — it is better to report this to the service`s support team.
Comprehensive statistics for Russia are scarce. However, according to the MCHS, approximately 20 cases of electric scooter fires were recorded in 2022. Last week, a man in Khakassia sustained burns to 90% of his body after a scooter battery exploded in his apartment while charging.
