Jason Chanine was riding his electric bicycle to work in Heidelberg, a suburb of Melbourne, when the battery on his ride caught alight.

The 32-year-old electrical apprentice told news.com.au he had converted his push bike into an electric bike after getting “a cheap Chinese kit online”.

“It was fine, then on the way it just exploded, it went crazy,” Mr Chanine told news.com.au.

He said as soon as he saw the bike begin to spew smoke, which was stationary at the time, he knew he needed to ditch his wheels.

“I took the battery off the bike when it started smouldering,” he said.

The owners of a residence nearby “thought it was a terrorists attack”, according to Mr Chanine.

“They were scared, they were terrified, they thought it was a bomb”.

He decided to pay for parts online for a fraction of the full price of an electrical motorbike, which can retail for up to $4000.

But now he says he has learned you “get what you pay for”.

Hear, hear.