With electric personal transport devices flooding into the Middle East, global safety science firm, UL, has announced new and updated standards, establishing a baseline of expectations for their safe use and shipment.
Hoverboards, drones, electric bikes and other forms of transport devices have become hugely popular across the world in recent years, especially in the Middle East. However, a potential danger is that these devices are powered by lithium batteries, which have been reported as causing many devices to catch fire and these have therefore been banned from hand and checked luggage by many airlines.
With the global market for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries projected to reach $11.9 billion in annual sales by 2020, this technology has evolved over the past 25 years. It now packs in more energy and yields longer life cycles, making it an ideal energy source for transforming the way we learn, work, play and travel.
UL, the not-for-profit organization which has a regional base in Dubai and a new testing laboratory in Abu Dhabi, is keen to see the MENA region continue to embrace this exciting technology, but is urging for diligence and awareness, while also offering new global safety standards to manufacturers that will minimise the risk and keep end users safer.
Hamid Syed, Vice President & GM, UL Middle East, said: “The benefits of new technologies can come with some risks especially if they are not properly mitigated from the get-go. That’s why it’s critical to acknowledge the safety challenges of an advanced energy system such as lithium-ion batteries. More info
By Staff  www.emirates247.com
