Home EV Fire Safety Checklist | Lithium Battery Tips

The home EV fire-safety checklist

Most battery fires happen in homes, and most are preventable. Here's a practical checklist to lower your risk tonight — no special expertise required.

Lithium-ion fires are happening to households almost every day across NSW, and people are still taking avoidable risks at home (Fire and Rescue NSW, 2025). The good news is that the highest-impact changes are simple and free.

Charging

• Use only the charger that came with the device — never a mismatched one.
• Don't charge overnight or while you're out; unplug once charged.
• Charge on a hard, non-combustible surface, away from doorways and exits.
• Don't cover devices or charge them on beds, sofas or carpet.

Buying & maintaining

• Buy certified products from reputable retailers; avoid cheap online imports.
• Never modify a battery or device to boost speed or range.
• Stop using any battery that's swollen, damaged, leaking or behaving oddly.

Detection & disposal

• Fit working smoke alarms on every level of your home.
• Learn the warning signs: smoke, odd smell, hissing, swelling, excessive heat.
• Never bin batteries — recycle via B-cycle drop-off points (Shellharbour City Council, 2025).

A ready-made EV fire safety bundle covers the essentials in one purchase, combining a fire extinguisher and fire blanket matched to your device. See the full home EV fire-safety guide for room-by-room advice.