15/5/2026
Efectis is a partner in the research project “Lithium-Ion Batteries: Prevention and Protection,” funded by the MAIF Foundation for Research and dedicated to the assessment of risks associated with lithium-ion batteries used by the public (e.g., mobile phones, electric scooters, etc.).
Within this framework, Efectis conducted six full-scale fire tests involving electric scooters and their batteries at its Les Avenières laboratory, focusing on fire behaviour, gas and battery component temperatures, radiative heat flux at a distance, as well as gas and toxic emissions.
The experimental results show a significant release of gases at the onset of thermal runaway, often without immediate ignition. Gas ignition typically occurs shortly thereafter. The confinement of battery cells within a robust enclosure (steel rather than plastic) appears to intensify the phenomenon and therefore plays a key role in thermal hazard behaviour. Successive thermal runaway events lead to repeated ignitions, accompanied by projections of incandescent materials and flame jets reaching distances of up to 2 meters. Temperatures during combustion can reach up to 800 °C, with an average of 250°C over a 10-minute period. Radiative heat fluxes in the immediate vicinity reach critical levels, indicating a high risk of fire spread to surrounding combustible materials. At greater distances, heat fluxes remain lower; however, burning projections and incandescent debris, which can be ejected over some distance, constitute a significant risk of fire propagation.
One of the tests carried out on an electric scooter is available at the following link:
Incendie de trottinette électrique : comprendre les risques des batteries lithium-ion
(or : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v0RyUV3Ekg )
At the same time, numerical simulations are being conducted to extrapolate the observed phenomena to different storage configurations in order to assess the risk of fire spread (hallway, bedroom, living room), taking into account both the battery fire and burning projections / incandescent debris.
Tests to mitigate fires in electric scooter batteries are planned for the coming months to evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation methods that can be used or are available to the public (containment, fire extinguishers, fire blankets, spraying, flooding, etc.). This work will ultimately lead to recommendations regarding safe operating conditions, as well as measures to prevent fire ignition and to respond effectively in the event of a fire.
For further information, please refer to the project description at: Batteries Lithium-Ion : prévention et protection (fondation-maif.fr)
The experimental work of this project will be presented at the 15th IAFSS (International Symposium on Fire Safety Science), June 7 – 12, 2026 in La Rochelle, France.
It was also published in the Fire Safety Journal, where you can find all the details in the article: Dréan V., Colombiano J., Dias Lopes P., Rengel B., El Houssami M., Guillaume E., Experimental evaluation of e-scooters and batteries fires: thermal behaviour and risk of propagation, Fire Safety Journal 162 (2026) 104804, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2026.104804
For more information, please contact Virginie Drean