Wellington electric scooter explosion victim out of intensive care

The victim of an exploding scooter battery in central Wellington has been moved out of intensive care.

Emergency services rushed to the Tory Hotel and Century City Apartments in Tory St after a scooter exploded about 5.30pm on July 29.

The victim was treated in Hutt Hospital’s intensive care unit and initially in a critical condition.

They remained in intensive care on Friday but a hospital spokesperson on Monday said they were in a stable condition on a ward.

The incident led to warnings about lithium-ion batteries, which can be found in products ranging from phones to vapes, smoke alarms, toys, cars, bikes, and scooters, and have been blamed for a range of recent fires.

The rechargeable battery is known for being small, lightweight and long-lasting.

Damage caused from batteries was generally covered by home policies, “provided the homeowner has taken reasonable care”, an Insurance Council of New Zealand spokesperson said.

“Our advice for reducing the risks from fire is to only charge as long as needed, don’t leave batteries charging overnight, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use the specific charger for the device.”