Use the battery and charger that came with the bike, charge where a fire wouldn’t block your way out, and stop using any battery that’s damaged. These come from Health Canada’s lithium-ion battery advice, which warns that fires in larger batteries such as e-bike and e-scooter packs “can be severe and hard to extinguish.”
Toronto Fire Services counted 97 lithium-ion battery fires in the city by early September 2026, more than in all of 2025, with 14 people injured (CP24, September 9, 2026).
Where and how to charge
- Charge away from exit doors, so a fire can’t trap you (Health Canada).
- Charge in a room with a working smoke alarm, away from anything flammable. Bosch gives the same advice for storing its batteries.
- Use the charger that came with the battery. Health Canada says to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for charging, use and storage.
- Charge at room temperature. Shimano’s manual lists 0–40 °C as the charging range, so let a cold battery warm up indoors first.
Warning signs
Stop using a battery, and don’t charge it, if it’s swollen, cracked, leaking or unusually hot. Health Canada says never to use a damaged battery.
Replacements and repairs
Health Canada advises getting a replacement battery from the original manufacturer or the retailer you bought the bike from, and says not to modify, tamper with or build your own battery. Some shops won’t work on rebuilt batteries. Sweet Pete’s in Toronto, for example, turns away modified e-bikes and rebuilt batteries. Each city page lists the shops that test or replace batteries.
Old and damaged batteries
Don’t put an e-bike battery in the garbage or blue bin. Health Canada says to check with your municipality on how to dispose of it, and many cities take them at hazardous waste depots. Tape over the terminals before you drop it off.
If a battery catches fire
Get everyone out, close the door behind you, and call 911. Don’t try to put out a burning e-bike battery yourself.
For storing a battery over the winter, see our guide to winter battery storage.