A Homeowner’s EV and Battery Charging Safety Checklist

A Homeowner’s EV and Battery Charging Safety Checklist

HomeownersField Notes·EV & Lithium-Ion Fire Safety

A Homeowner’s EV and Battery Charging Safety Checklist

Your home already runs on lithium-ion — phones, laptops, tools, bikes, maybe a car. A few habits cover almost all of the risk. Here’s the checklist.

28 July 20265 min readStocked in Australia · dispatched within 48 hours

You don’t need to be an early EV adopter to have a home full of lithium-ion batteries. Between phones, laptops, power tools, e-bikes and increasingly cars and home chargers, the average household now holds more stored battery energy than ever — and the incident numbers have climbed with it (ACCC, 2023). The reassuring part: the same short list of habits covers the overwhelming majority of the risk.

The charging checklist

  • Buy quality, and keep the right charger. Purchase batteries and chargers from reputable sellers, and use the charger that came with the device. Cheap online replacements and conversion kits are a recurring cause of fires (UL SE, 2025).
  • Don’t charge on your way out. Never charge bikes, scooters or large devices in a hallway, doorway or the only stairwell — keep escape routes clear (LFB, 2023).
  • Don’t charge while asleep or away. Charge when you’re home and awake, and unplug once full. A large share of fires start when no one’s watching.
  • Watch for warning signs. Swelling, heat, hissing, unusual smell or a battery that won’t hold charge — stop using it and isolate it.
  • Don’t bin dead batteries. Damaged and end-of-life batteries go to proper recycling, not household rubbish, where they start truck and facility fires.
  • Charge cars sensibly. Have home chargers installed by a licensed electrician and keep the charging area clear of clutter.
Not just while charging

In New York City, 59% of lithium-ion battery fires in 2023 occurred while the battery was not charging — so where you store devices matters as much as how you charge them.

Source: NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, 2024

Be ready, not just careful. Keep a compact extinguisher and a small fire blanket where you charge — or an all-in-one kit — and know the plan: if a battery is well alight, get everyone out and call 000. Equipment is for the small, early fire, not the big one.

Print the checklist, stick it near where you charge, and you’ve done most of what matters. For home-specific gear, see our home charger collection or the homeowners page.

Equipment referenced in this article
1L EV Fire Extinguisher›E-Bike Fire Blanket›Home Charger range›Homeowners›

References

APA 7th edition · sources drawn from Australia, the United States and Europe

  1. AUAustralian Competition and Consumer Commission. (2023, October 5). Consumers urged to use and store lithium-ion batteries safely to prevent deadly fires [Media release]. https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/consumers-urged-to-use-and-store-lithium-ion-batteries-safely-to-prevent-deadly-fires
  2. USUL Standards & Engagement. (2025, September 3). Deaths from e-bike fires declining in New York City after UL standards written into law. https://ulse.org/insight/deaths-e-bike-fires-declining-new-york-city-after-ul-standards-written-law/
  3. EULondon Fire Brigade. (2023, September 1). New record high of e-bike and e-scooter fires in London. https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/news/2023/august/new-record-high-of-e-bike-and-e-scooter-fires-in-london
  4. USNew York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. (2024, July 22). Mayor Adams takes new actions to prevent deadly lithium-ion battery fires, promote safe e-bike charging and usage. City of New York. https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/news/031-24/mayor-adams-takes-new-actions-prevent-deadly-lithium-ion-battery-fires-promote-safe-e-bike

General guidance only. Portable fire equipment is supplementary to your statutory fire safety measures, not a replacement. A lithium-ion battery in full thermal runaway is a job for the fire service — get clear and call 000.

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