Solarcabin
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
E-Bike Batteries Are Setting a Record-breaking Number of Fires Every Year
And delivery workers are demanding that the city build safe charging stations.
www.curbed.com
E-Bike Batteries Are Catching on Fire Way Too Often And delivery workers are demanding safe charging stations.
- Thread starter Solarcabin
- Start date
www.curbed.com
AtomicSans
New Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest
I truly think that there should be some regulation on ebike batteries. Good quality ones like Bosch have integrated wear leveling, shock sensors, short detection, temperature sensors, auto-disconnect, and plenty of other features that let the battery murder itself safely if it thinks anything at all might present a hazard. I think at least some of this should become standard.
Of course, that'd be quite difficult to enforce, so I don't know if anybody would be willing to step up to the plate. But damn, these Chinese aftermarket packs are so sketchy.
Of course, that'd be quite difficult to enforce, so I don't know if anybody would be willing to step up to the plate. But damn, these Chinese aftermarket packs are so sketchy.
tomjasz
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- USA
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- Minnesnowta
WTF!
$500 fire blanket a fireproof section of flooring and ammo can or no battery in my apartment. I live in a house and have a battery safe zone. I'm investing in a blanket. AND an active extinguisher to flood the cabinet. Lithex.
Posters have indicated that a simple ABC dry chemical extinguisher is all that's needed. NO! JUST NO!!
I'm not suggesting everyone replicates my install. I have had up to 12 batteries at one time, plus several hundred cells for pack building. I WOULD have a sophisticated fire plan should I live in a multiunit house/apt.
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AHicks
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- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
I just want to point out not all go to the lengths Tom does when it comes to battery safety (see above). Not saying he's wrong to do that, but I believe there are reasonable safeguards already built in, and used in a reasonable manner, batteries and chargers supplied with production bikes can be used safely as is. There's a very low chance of fire when used according to the owner's manual.
The guys having issues are messing with home made battery packs, charging multiple packs at a time, or otherwise using "creative" methods/technology. If you want to try something like that, cautions are a darn good idea, just in case your ideas are not.....
The guys having issues are messing with home made battery packs, charging multiple packs at a time, or otherwise using "creative" methods/technology. If you want to try something like that, cautions are a darn good idea, just in case your ideas are not.....
tomjasz
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- Minnesnowta
That’s simply not true. I’m truly disappointed that you would promulgate disinformation. I made it clear that it was the number of packs that inspired safeguards in my basement shop.
Whose aftermarket battery came with a manual and instructions?
A simple event like a dropped pack can lead to a pretty little explosion when charging. How many OEM SUB $2000 factory direct bikes have Bosch level protection and sophisticated BMS? I’m sorry my friend but you’re being naive.
A safe steel container or containment ought to be minimal. Even then anyone without a fire plan is being naive as well. You read ES remember the moderators fire?
I guess it’s 20 years of OSHA inspections and realizing most stupid rules and policies to mitigate workplace disasters were created by stupid management and avoidable disasters.
AHicks
Well-Known Member
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- USA
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- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
I thought I stated "production bikes" pretty clearly, no?
"batteries and chargers supplied with production bikes can be used safely as is"
"Aftermarket" opens a whole new/different can of worms. I get that, and suggest appropriate cautions are in order when dealing with them.
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
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- USA
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- Minnesnowta
No, period. Do we think those budget OEM batteries are not a risk? Naïve.
Handlebars
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
You changed the subject. Why pretend that you didn't?
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
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- USA
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- Minnesnowta
A charger plugged into a power strip?
Ebiker01
Well-Known Member
Have u experimented or hv. knowledge about aerogel ? I Hv.to research what kind of protection it can give .
Aerogel incorporated flexible nonwoven fabric for thermal protective clothing
Aerogel-nonwoven fabrics are gradually emerging as a promising alternative in the field of thermal protective textiles. Although currently available c…
www.sciencedirect.com
AHicks
Well-Known Member
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- USA
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- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
Thomas, you're welcome to be cautious as you like, but to sit there and try to scare people with production bikes, using suggested charging practices per owners manual, into being as cautious as you prefer, is something you can count on being called out on every time I see it. As can EASILY be seen by the lack of reported fires nation wide, your cautions are overkill, period.
I doubt seriously that we would be seeing the kinds of sales numbers we're seeing if the chances of a fire were even close to what you are implying. If you can't/wont agree, we'll need to agree to disagree on this point and move on.... -Al
harryS
Well-Known Member
Production bikes? Hard to get more production than Rad Motors. WIth their kind of sales numbers, sure, the odds are that something eventually goes wrong unless you go to +3 sigma as far as preventative measures. From the above article cited by OP.
"Even well-known models aren’t foolproof. Just ask Marcus Hoed, the head of Dutch-X, an upmarket New York City delivery company that has contracts with Whole Foods and Amazon. Until last year, he was operating a fleet of 100 e-bikes by Rad Power Bikes — a popular Seattle-based brand — that came with what Hoed describes as no-name, “white-label” batteries. One morning, five minutes into a charge cycle, one of the batteries caught fire and exploded inside Dutch-X’s downtown warehouse;"
"Even well-known models aren’t foolproof. Just ask Marcus Hoed, the head of Dutch-X, an upmarket New York City delivery company that has contracts with Whole Foods and Amazon. Until last year, he was operating a fleet of 100 e-bikes by Rad Power Bikes — a popular Seattle-based brand — that came with what Hoed describes as no-name, “white-label” batteries. One morning, five minutes into a charge cycle, one of the batteries caught fire and exploded inside Dutch-X’s downtown warehouse;"
harryS
Well-Known Member
Power strip has circuit breaker? Better than extension cord. Your chargers probably get hot like most chargers w/o fans. Don't put the chargers on carpet, etc.
As someone else said, "always charge in a place where you wouldn't mind a fire."
Just don't go to bed with ebike chargers at work on your batteries. I never do. I make sure they're done. I won't leave a battery charging if I leave the house either.
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Dave Rocks
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- Canada
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- MISSISSAUGA
Come on...Really????
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