A new design for an e-bike storage facility developed by engineering and architecture students at the University of Toronto aims to reduce the risks associated with fires in battery-powered e-bikes and e-scooters.
The project is part of Engineering Strategies and Practice (ESP), a first-year course that connects students with real clients to design solutions for complex challenges. Toronto Fire Services has collaborated with student teams on numerous projects over the years addressing the fire hazards posed by lithium-ion batteries. While the technology powers devices from smartphones to electric vehicles, it remains largely unregulated in Canada.
“Lithium-ion batteries are a relatively new technology, and it’s growing exponentially,” says Jim Chisholm, a fire protection engineer with Toronto Fire Services who has worked with ESP teams on over a dozen projects since 2016. “But for things like e-bikes and scooters, there’s nothing saying batteries made without any certification in another country can’t come into Canada. And within the country, there’s nothing saying that somebody can’t produce a battery that has no certification either. It’s a bit like the Wild West.”
The lack of regulation has led to real-world consequences, with fires caused by faulty or damaged batteries proving difficult to extinguish and potentially devastating in residential and commercial settings. ESP students have sought to address these challenges through innovative design.
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Victor Todorov, a student in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, was part of a cross-disciplinary team that focused on designing a secure storage pavilion for e-bikes and scooters on U of T’s St. George campus.
“Working with lithium-ion battery-powered vehicles, safety was a key consideration; maintaining proper storage, temperatures, docking and charging were all central to the design,” Todorov says. “We also had to consider what preventive measures to take in the instance of a fire or explosion. For example, constructing the pavilion’s main walls — which face the nearby Robarts Library — out of reinforced concrete was a choice made to protect the building, as well as contain the fire in the event of a battery flare up.”
Past ESP projects have similarly focused on fire prevention. Chisholm recalls a project prompted by a deadly fire in a New York City bike shop, in which students designed a model e-bike store with separate zones for retail, battery storage, repairs, and disposal to contain fires and reduce risk to surrounding areas.
“Safety is the fundamental underpinning of any engineering project. As engineers, this should be our first consideration,” Chisholm says. “One of the things I see working with students in ESP is that they come to a real understanding that these are issues that affect real people. They came up with a really thoughtful layout. It wasn’t just about fire suppression — it was about prevention, containment and practical usability. They were really thinking holistically.”
As lithium-ion batteries continue to proliferate, thoughtful, safety-first engineering becomes increasingly important. Through ESP, U of T students are contributing to this effort.
“ESP exposes students to the reality that engineering is about people right at the outset of their degree,” Chisholm says. “They’re applying their knowledge and getting valuable experience solving real problems. Their reports go into our knowledge bank. They help us ask better questions, propose smarter strategies and sometimes even influence future regulations. The work that the ESP teams are doing is pathfinding. A lot of the issues they’re dealing with have shown possible gaps in regulations that may need to be addressed.”
