Flying with Electric Bike Batteries? Tips and Advice

[Solom01]

Seeing how many fires have started in planes from smartphones, e-cigs, smart luggage and other small consumer electronics does anyone honestly think that it makes sense to take ebike batteries on a commercial passenger plane? Even if you buy one that can travel now the probabilities are high that more and more of these products will be banned at some time in the future and the amounts that any passenger can bring on will be cut back, so there's no guarantee that they will be allowed in a plane in the future. Rather than risk a fire in a plane just rent an ebike when you get to your destination or send them ahead by a commercial carrier.

 

[John and Cecil]

Rent a bike for months and months every time you go to a different country, or to move? Your statement may apply to short term vacationers but not for people that travel or move for long periods of time.

A laptop pc has almost the same size battery, yet why not tell them to send them as cargo. My laptop uses a 66wh battery, so anyone with a laptop is carrying 1/3 of a 48v 4ah bike battery. Should passengers be banned from carrying 2 laptops? And if not then why ban me from carrying to 80wh power tool batteries?

You cannot mail large ebike batteries either, they must be sent by a company that handles dangerous goods. And to mail smaller ones commercially - hmm. I would bet it is probably safer to take them in the cabin with you then to send as cargo. At least in the cabin they can be watched and if something does go wrong it can be dealt with before it gets out of hand. Not like when they end up in the cargo hold.

If they want to ban smaller batteries in the future that is ok, but then they must ban laptops. That may end up being like prohibition because unlike ebikes the masses like their computers.

 

[Dewey]

A UK developed kit the Cytronex C1 is now on sale with a light 4.5lb 36v 250w geared hub motor and a compact 180wh bottle battery that has an internal 6v DC power step down converter to power ebike lights and an optional 90 minute fast charger. In the December 2017 issue of A to B magazine Henshaw (2017) described how the battery pack can be unscrewed and separated into two 90wh batteries that would be compliant with airline regs. The review measured the power consumption of the Cytronex motor in US 20mph spec at 8.9wh/mile on the flat and 12.6wh/mile climbing hills, giving a real world range of between 14-20 miles.

Source: Henshaw, D. & Henshaw, J. (2017). The trial: Cytronex C1. A to B Magazine, 118: 18-29. http://www.atob.org.uk/product/a-to-b-118-digital-cytronex/

 

[DanRichman]

FedEx says it will ship 500 watt-hour batteries from the U.S. internationally.

For example, from Seattle to Orli Airport in Paris, FedEx would impose a $146 HazMat fee. That's on top of freight charges, which would be $468.93 for a package 12" square weighing 12 lbs. and worth $1,000 (I just made up those numbers to get some idea of the charges).

Those freight charges seem astoundingly high, so maybe I got that wrong. The person on the phone was so crabby I didn't feel like double-checking.

But the point is that it's possible to fly even high-capacity batteries overseas.

To double-check this, call FedEx International Air at 800-247-4747.

 

[Chris Nolte]

FedEx says it will ship 500 watt-hour batteries from the U.S. internationally.

For example, from Seattle to Orli Airport in Paris, FedEx would impose a $146 HazMat fee. That's on top of freight charges, which would be $468.93 for a package 12" square weighing 12 lbs. and worth $1,000 (I just made up those numbers to get some idea of the charges).

Those freight charges seem astoundingly high, so maybe I got that wrong. The person on the phone was so crabby I didn't feel like double-checking.

But the point is that it's possible to fly even high-capacity batteries overseas.

To double-check this, call FedEx International Air at 800-247-4747.

It’s possible to transport high capacity batteries on a plane, but it can only be a cargo plane. Passenger planes are not allowed as specified in the IATA regulation.

 

[tomjasz]

Grin, eBikes.ca, developed a solution. “36V 2.7Ah LiGo Battery Module, 98 Watt-Hours for Air Shipping.”
Can be 'Shipped with Equipment' In accordance with IATA UN3481 PI966 Section II
http://www.ebikes.ca/shop/electric-bicycle-parts/batteries/b362-7-ligo.html

 

[Mr. Coffee]

bikeflights.com will ship your class I e-bike if you have a certified shipper pack it. They list e-bike certified shippers (which are quite thin on the ground, there is one in Seattle and one in San Francisco) on their web site.

 

[tomjasz]

bikeflights.com will ship your class I e-bike if you have a certified shipper pack it. They list e-bike certified shippers (which are quite thin on the ground, there is one in Seattle and one in San Francisco) on their web site.

Not a criticism, but no updates in my region, upper Midwest, since 2015. Or so it appears based on a half dozen contacts. It may take some persistence. Hopefully more interested posters will add access!

 

[hongkong]

Hi everyone Im new owner of fantastic small I-Walk Bike just purchased in Taiwan and of course I decide after
many investigation with IATA and Airlines to remove battery and fold bike and take it to Europe and purchase
a new one from dealer in Belgium. Battery is over 300 Ah and this is the latest IATA limit for Lithium Ion batteries.

Cost of cargo + special package was over price of new Bike here.

Maybe stupid question: But if I remove battery than all restriction to take it with me is not problem?
I will remove cells from battery and left only case of battery and have it for spare (will assemble with new cells one).

Thanks for your opinion traveling with / without battery.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Hi everyone Im new owner of fantastic small I-Walk Bike just purchased in Taiwan and of course I decide after
many investigation with IATA and Airlines to remove battery and fold bike and take it to Europe and purchase
a new one from dealer in Belgium. Battery is over 300 Ah and this is the latest IATA limit for Lithium Ion batteries.

Cost of cargo + special package was over price of new Bike here.

Maybe stupid question: But if I remove battery than all restriction to take it with me is not problem?
I will remove cells from battery and left only case of battery and have it for spare (will assemble with new cells one).

Thanks for your opinion traveling with / without battery.

That sounds like a very clever idea in theory.

In practice, I think you'll find that traveling with disassembled electronics in your luggage or carryon is a sure-fire way to attract lots of attention from airport security and customs officials. And not good attention.

 

[tomjasz]

Justin, owner of Grin AKA eBike.ca has a good bit of information. He travels with his bikes. All the way to Iran and back. 100 Wh is the limit. However multiple batteries rated 100wh are acceptable. Justin recommends no more than 4-5.

 

[hongkong]

Thanks for replies. I mean completely removing cells from battery alu box. Nothing will remain inside.
Only case will remain with Bike.
This I suppose will be ok for security? How empty box can be dangerous without any wires, modules, cells or
electronics?
I found that IATA rules is all Lithium under 300 Wh is allowed. But my have too much.

 

[Dewey]

I found that IATA rules is all Lithium under 300 Wh is allowed. But my have too much.

No, it’s 100wh max per battery, see upthread post https://electricbikereview.com/foru...eries-tips-and-advice.1357/page-2#post-104627 but you can carry more than one battery hence the requirement led to the Grin LiGo 100wh battery that can be assembled in series to make a larger capacity pack, and the Cytronex 180wh pack can be split into two 90wh batteries to comply with the regulation.

 

[Alex M]

[QUOTE="hongkong, post: if I remove battery than all restriction to take it with me is not problem?
[/QUOTE]
If you remove battery and throw it away, then - not a problem.
If you remove battery and take it with you - then you have a problem.
Batteries from 100 to 160 WH you can only have 2. Batteries over 160 WH are not allowed in air luggage or carry-on.

Btw, it is WH, not AH. AH measure is meaningless when not associated with voltage.

 

[tomjasz]

100Wh batts will fly. Best to stay at 4 or 5. Period. But this is from USA and CA

 

[Alex M]

I doubt that any airline flying from HK to Belgium would allow his 365 WH battery. If they would, it might not be safe flying such an airline

 

[Scooteretti]

Under current IATA / ICAO rules and regulations it would be illegal to transport such a battery by air on a commercial aircraft and would require that that is be packed by a certified DG shipper then shipped by cargo aircraft only.


Will
shop.scooteretti.com

 

[tomjasz]

I doubt that any airline flying from HK to Belgium would allow his 365 WH battery. If they would, it might not be safe flying such an airline

OFFS. Should the demand rise there are very safe systems for flying batteries. I suspect if we knew all risks onboard ANY flight...we’d bid amazed. Every laptop an smart phone hasethe same potential, but not the intensity, a dozen or so manufacturers make safety pushes and fire control systems. This is rocket science. I’m overly cautious with my storage, but I learned one can mitigate the problems and be safe.

As always, YMMV.

 

[steve marino]

I was wondering about this recently. Every year or two I go a little crazy in the head and think about moving back to Hawaii. How would I get the eBike bike there? So I called some of the bike shops on the different islands to ask them. One told me to just have a friend mail the battery and lie about what was in the package. Really bad advice.

The other bike shops recommended that I sell the bike and get another one over on their island. When I asked them about getting a replacement battery if mine died, they had no idea what to do. Apparently they aren't able to get them either. They did mention that I could look for someone that was certified to handle this, but then they also said good luck on finding someone like that.

I think their bikes come over on container ships w/ the batteries already on the bikes. The whole experience reinforced one of the reasons why I left there. Often the simplest things that we take for granted on the mainland don't work in Hawaii.

 

[Scooteretti]

Shipping lithium batteries to Hawaii is not difficult. You just need to find a company who is certified to ship Lithium batteries by air. There are cargo aircraft that fly in regularly that will accept these if they are pre-qualified.

We have shipped a few batteries to the big island on a few occasions for people.