Consumer Reports: Ebike Fires

[Chargeride]

Cheap scooters charging in dorms..

Lithium-ion battery fire at SDSU leaves 16 dorm rooms with water damage

A lithium-ion battery overheated in a dormitory and triggered the building’s sprinkler system, damaging 16 units in Tenochaca Hall.

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

 

[J.R.]

Like a few others here I store several ebike packs and tool packs in large ammo cans (mortar ammo cans). I lined the interior with a fire blanket and drilled holes to vent the pressure.

I wanted something for convenient charging, travel and use while in a hotel. The bags for $40 on Amazon gave me little confidence. I couldn't find any real testing. In 2025 I found Vlitex, they started selling in the US. Vlitex is a German company, in the business of manufacturing textiles for fire protection. They've been in business for more than 25 years, serving business, industry and government.

They make several size ebike battery bags. Price range is $106.00 to $136.00 depending on size. All made the same way.

This is a 740 Wh battery pack at 95% charged.

The one I purchased is very heavy and made extremely well.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Like a few others here I store several ebike packs and tool packs in large ammo cans (mortar ammo cans). I lined the interior with a fire blanket and drilled holes to vent the pressure.

I wanted something for convenient charging, travel and use while in a hotel. The bags for $40 on Amazon gave me little confidence. I couldn't find any real testing. In 2025 I found Vlitex, they started selling in the US. Vlitex is a German company, in the business of manufacturing textiles for fire protection. They've been in business for more than 25 years, serving business, industry and government.

They make several size ebike battery bags. Price range is $106.00 to $136.00 depending on size. All made the same way.

This is a 740 Wh battery pack at 95% charged.

The one I purchased is very heavy and made extremely well.

View attachment 209491 View attachment 209492

I believe lithium ion batteries bring their own oxidizers to a fire. Is smothering all that helpful?

 

[J.R.]

I believe lithium ion batteries bring their own oxidizers to a fire. Is smothering all that helpful?

Containment is the aim of the product. When a battery catches fire, everything around it will ignite.

 

[Chargeride]

Those bags tend to be useless, they are up against ferocious energy

 

[kevinmccune]

Those bags tend to be useless, they are up against ferocious energy

metal fires extremely hot.

 

[6zfshdb]

Like a few others here I store several ebike packs and tool packs in large ammo cans (mortar ammo cans). I lined the interior with a fire blanket and drilled holes to vent the pressure.

I wanted something for convenient charging, travel and use while in a hotel. The bags for $40 on Amazon gave me little confidence. I couldn't find any real testing. In 2025 I found Vlitex, they started selling in the US. Vlitex is a German company, in the business of manufacturing textiles for fire protection. They've been in business for more than 25 years, serving business, industry and government.

They make several size ebike battery bags. Price range is $106.00 to $136.00 depending on size. All made the same way.

This is a 740 Wh battery pack at 95% charged.

The one I purchased is very heavy and made extremely well.

View attachment 209491 View attachment 209492

Looks interesting. Certainly better than nothing. Too bad they don't make a size for rear rack batteries.

 

[6zfshdb]

Containment is the aim of the product. When a battery catches fire, everything around it will ignite.

Containment can be an advantage if used with a way to move the container away from combustibles.

Right now, I'm using ammo cans on a cart that can be pulled or pushed out a door.

They are bulky though, and I like the idea of a lightweight bag as a replacement.

 

[tomjasz]

Ammo cans lined with high-temp ceramic panels work for me.
Users should be sure to remove the rubber gasket!

 

[LandoftheGiants]

Outside the box folks, outside the box

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Research indicates the following may be true:

Annual rate of Fires from Gas and Electric Cars/Trucks: 1 in 1,300-1,500 vehicles.
E-bike fires are much rarer in absolute numbers but can have a comparable or slightly higher reported rate in some low-quality segments. Many E-bike fires involve conversion kits (aftermarket batteries), low-quality imports, damage, or improper charging—not factory e-bikes from reputable brands

Vehicle fires cause hundreds of deaths (~450–650 per year) and significant injuries/property damage each year. Fire departments respond to one roughly every few minutes.

E-bike fires on a per bike rate are diminishing do to safety manufacturing standards.

 

[Chargeride]

Very few people keep and charge their cars in their hallway

 

[LandoftheGiants]

Research indicates the following may be true:

Annual rate of Fires from Gas and Electric Cars/Trucks: 1 in 1,300-1,500 vehicles.

And now lets have the figures on stolen vehicles, and how many are 'deliberately' torched to destroy evidence.
In the United States, approximately 850,000 vehicles are stolen annually. [1]
While a breakdown of the exact number of stolen electric vehicles (EVs) isn't tracked separately, EV theft is exceptionally rare. EVs make up four of the six least-stolen vehicle models nationwide but There is no exact national statistic for how many stolen cars are torched annually in the US.

 

[kevinmccune]

metal fires extremely hot.

you wouldn't believe what one genius told me[ man there's only ions in the battery!] I suppose He was clueless as to where the ions originated.

 

[kevinmccune]

Outside the box folks, outside the box

View attachment 210364

 

[Chargeride]

I was reading about a retired couple who put a car battery and motor in their yacht.
It was done by a competent company.

They stopped communicating a few 100 miles from the coast, weeks later two bodies in burnt clothes washed up in a dinghy on a beach.

They went through some sat data and the battery explosion was caught from space.

No time to even grab clothes, supplies or the emergency beacon which was stupidly a manual one attached to the yacht.

They froze to death in the self inflating emergency dinghy.

Dont put giant present tech batteries in a boat, if they go up when youre asleep its not smoke and fire alarms, its hiss...bang!!

 

[kevinmccune]

just vent the fumes and there will be a temp rise in the near environment( that's what stoves and Franklin fireplaces do.)

I was reading about a retired couple who put a car battery and motor in their yacht.
It was done by a competent company.

They stopped communicating a few 100 miles from the coast, weeks later two bodies in burnt clothes washed up in a dinghy on a beach.

They went through some sat data and the battery explosion was caught from space.

No time to even grab clothes, supplies or the emergency beacon which was stupidly a manual one attached to the yacht.

They froze to death in the self inflating emergency dinghy.

Dont put giant present tech batteries in a boat, if they go up when youre asleep its not smoke and fire alarms, its hiss...bang!!

house them in a "moonpool" of sorts with thermal fuses and thermal sensitive supports that would let them go to "Davy Jones " locker in the event of a fire,no power but an intact vessel remains,that's one thing that bugs the crap out of me,why in this day and age we still build flammable housing and transport( temporary as well)