Georgetown University administrators announced a ban on micromobility devices that use lithium-ion batteries, including electric scooters and hoverboards, in a Dec. 12 email.

If university staff spot and mark a student e-vehicle in non-residential buildings, students have five business days to remove the vehicle, according to the email. (Devices in residential buildings will be removed immediately, in accordance with policies already set by the Office of Residential Living.) Officials said the ban does not apply to medically necessary electric devices and vehicles.

These devices were banned from university buildings because of the fire-related risks and dangers they pose, according to officials. 

“Due to the fire-safety danger presented by lithium-ion-equipped micro-mobility devices, Georgetown University is banning these devices from all university-owned and operated buildings,” administrators said in an email to students.

Though indoor spaces like the lobbies of student residential buildings have become popular for electric mobility devices because of their security, students, faculty and staff will now have to look elsewhere to store electric bikes, e-scooters and hoverboards with lithium-ion batteries.

“Outdoor bike rack locations, approved interior bike storage areas, and approved areas within the parking garages are acceptable for storage of these devices,” the email reads.

New charging options and a campus map of locations for accessible storage will be announced in the spring, administrators said in the email.
“Further information will be provided on the Environmental Health & Safety website in the early part of the Spring Semester including new charging options and storage location maps,” the email reads.

The headline of the article was updated Dec. 24 to clarify that e-scooters were banned from university buildings specifically.