The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): The question is that the House take note of the report.
Mr GREG WARREN (Campbelltown) (13:26): As Chair: I am delighted to contribute to the take‑note debate on the report of the Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety entitledElectric and hybrid vehicle batteries. New South Wales has seen a marked uptake of electric and hybrid vehicles in recent years. We have also seen more personal mobility devices, such as e-bikes, on our roads and cyclepaths. Those technologies are critical to decarbonising transport and supporting the New South Wales energy transition. However, the uptake of electric vehicles has raised concerns about EV battery safety and subsequent fire risks. The committee initiated this inquiry to ensure that the risks of electric and hybrid vehicle batteries are better understood and addressed comprehensively.
We found that EV fires are relatively rare and less common than internal combustion engine vehicle fires. That is due in part to effective regulations and design standards that are applied to newly sold EVs in Australia. However, when EV battery-related fires do occur, they are severe and more difficult to extinguish than petrol or diesel vehicle fires. We heard that personal mobility devices are more likely to catch fire than EVs, and that is due in part to the prevalence of low-quality imports and gaps in the regulation of those devices. Pleasingly, though, during the inquiry the committee heard that the New South Wales Government had strengthened regulations for e-bikes and other personal mobility devices, applying stricter standards and more stringent testing requirements. The committee welcomes that development and recommends that the regulations are backed by strong enforcement—particularly online, where we heard that riskier, low-quality personal mobility devices can still be sold.
In addition, we recommend that the New South Wales Government advocate for the nationwide adoption of common standards for those devices. While some work has been done, the committee knows there is so much more that can be done. We need to see the Federal Government engaged in the process, particularly with online purchases and imports from manufacturers outside Australia that may not have the consistent standards that we expect and the market sets in Australia. Emergency services workers play a crucial role in keeping our community safe, including from EV battery fires.
The committee heard about the dangers that first responders can face when dealing with electric vehicle battery fires, such as intense flames, toxic gases and the risk of re-ignition after a fire has been extinguished. Because of this, the committee has made recommendations aimed at keeping emergency service workers safe, such as sector-wide training on safe management of EV battery fires. Secondly, ensuring that all emergency service workers have effective personal protective equipment, otherwise known as PPE. Finally, that PPE is effectively decontaminated from EV battery fires. The committee also found that there were information and data gaps about injuries and the long-term effects of exposure to EV battery fires. As a result, the committee recommends that New South Wales government agencies collect data on injuries and health impacts from EV battery fires to support further research and better manage any identified health risks.
