‘Like an alien’: Strange noises before e-scooter exploded in man’s face

Electric scooters contain lithium-ion batteries. File photo / Jason Oxenham

A man who suffered life-threatening injuries when an electric scooter exploded in his face has spoken out about the harrowing experience, describing how the blast threw him across the room.

Adam Clayton, 56, was rushed to hospital in a critical condition late last month when the scooter exploded while it was charging in a central Wellington hotel.

Clayton told The Post he was charging the borrowed scooter in his room at the Tory Hotel when it began making strange noises on the evening of July 29.

“It sounded like an alien going off,” he said.

The scooter “literally exploded in my face” from about a metre away, sending a “ball of flame” his way and throwing him across the room and into a ranchslider door.

“The whole room was in flames. I was pretty much, ‘get off the floor and find the exit otherwise I was going to die’.”

Adam Clayton was taken to Hutt Hospital.

While Clayton managed to protect part of his face from the flames, it was still burnt, along with his hands and legs, The Post reported.

“I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” he said.

Clayton was taken to the specialist burn unit in Hutt Hospital where he spent about a week in critical condition before his condition stabilised.

He now faces at least a year of recovery.

Clayton told The Post he believed he had done everything right when charging the scooter, but in the future would only charge large lithium-ion batteries away from the house and inside some type of metal box.

The dramatic incident prompted a reminder from Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) on how to safely use lithium-ion batteries - and what to do if they “fail catastrophically”.

Risk reduction and investigations manager Pete Gallagher said if someone noticed their battery beginning to malfunction, they should not try to intervene.

“If you see signs of batteries swelling or an unusual smell, disconnect immediately and get out of its way,” he said.

Firefighters rushed to the scene to find Adam Clayton critically injured. File photo / Alex Cairns

“There’s really no homeowner option for fighting a lithium-ion battery fire and that’s because the battery itself, once it enters the start of what we call ‘thermal runaway’, it’s a chemical reaction inside the battery that’s generating the heat, and there’s just no way to stop that.”

Even firefighters could not put out these fires straight away.

“Essentially we allow the reaction to occur by keeping everyone out of its way. We let it do its thing until we’re able to cool it down. That’s not really an option for a homeowner.”

There had been numerous trials of methods to extinguish these fires, but there remained very little that could be done aside from allowing the chemical reaction to run its course.

FENZ was concerned Kiwis had little understanding of the risks of the batteries and how to use them safely, despite them being “in everything.

“We use them in our daily lives from cellphones to power tools, to laptops and computers, to e-scooters and e-bikes through to electric vehicles.”

The batteries are most at risk when they get too flat or are left on the charger longer than necessary. Gallagher said the batteries liked to be “stable”, so dropping below about 20 per cent charge could present a risk.

“If the batteries are abused, if they suffer some physical damage, if they’re dropped, that can also cause that chemical reaction inside the battery to start. It generates more and more heat. The heat can’t escape and they burst into flames.”

FENZ recommended people store and charge e-scooters and e-bikes somewhere other than inside their home, as they were larger and could potentially cause more damage if they caught fire than a cellphone would. But if people could not store them elsewhere, Gallagher recommended putting them in an area with a smoke alarm, and not in an exit-way.

“Lithium batteries can be used safely but you need to understand the risks involved with them and take adequate precautions.”

Gallagher also recommended installing smoke alarms as a preventative measure.

“Generally [the batteries] emit smoke before they fail catastrophically,” he said, adding a smoke alarm would give people the earliest possible warning system. They should then get themselves and others away from the battery and call 111.