October 12, 2024:  An unexpected consequence of Hurricane Milton that tore across Florida this week: a wave of EV and lithium battery home fires.

Official figures are still being compiled but the complications of a tidal surge measuring around four metres above normal levels will have had a dramatic effect on parked EVs and home energy storage systems.

“Ever since the notorious Fisker fires in 2012 [when 16 EVs caught fire whilst submerged in a car park during Hurricane Sandy] we’ve known that salt water and lithium batteries are a dangerous mix,” says George Brilmyer, a now-retired battery industry veteran.

“It’s made all the more complex given the conductivity of salt water.”

Warnings about the Hurricane Milton impact on EVs — which were widespread ahead of the event — included recollections of Hurricane Helene that had raged across the southern states of the US a couple of weeks beforehand. Local reports suggested that there had been at least six EV fires including the total destruction of one Gulf Coast home.

With the impact of Hurricane Milton still being digested, a similar tally of EV fires is more than likely.

“Greater public awareness of the dangers of lithium battery fires — and explosions! — is needed by the general public who are largely unaware of how quickly these blazes can start and the temperatures involved,” says Brilmyer. “Greater regulation is needed too.”

One recent move by eBay, the internet sales platform, has been a private initiative to restrict the sale of e-bikes and e-bike batteries on its UK platform from October 31.

EBay said only “eligible business sellers” will be allowed to list them after this date. “This policy change is in addition to the CE audits of listings offering e-bike batteries that we started last year, where we check that the products sellers are offering have valid CE documentation.”

The move comes amid increasing pressure on retailers and safety authorities to regulate their sale following rising incidents of fires — some fatal — involving the bikes’ batteries.

The London Fire Brigade recently said it recorded 155 e-bike fires in 2023, up by 78% from the previous year.

Separately, a new law is being introduced in New York City that will clamp down on stores selling uncertified batteries for e-bikes.

The new law also requires stores to display the city’s new fire safety disclosure sign that helps shoppers understand certification and how to safely store and charge their e-bikes.