Please stop charging ebike batteries overnight!

[Mulezen]

How E-Bike Battery Fires Became a Deadly Crisis in New York City

City leaders are racing to regulate battery-powered mobility devices, which have been the source of over 100 fires so far this year.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Slaphappygamer]

The big take-away….

“Reasons for the uptick of these fires are myriad. They include a lack of regulation and safety testing for individually owned devices, hazardous charging practices (like using mismatched equipment or overcharging) and a lack of secure charging areas in a population-dense city with numerous residential buildings, where most fires start.”

 

[Art Deco]

We charge on timers while awake also, but, this story likely had to do with charging a whole bunch of cheap, no name, questionable quality batteries at once. Just asking for disaster on that kind of situation...

Indeed. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of different batteries all charging at once in a facility that wasn't built for it is just asking for a fire eventually.

 

[AHicks]

Another one comes to mind. Because the charger output jack fits the battery charge port does NOT assure anyone that the charger attributes match the battery's needs. If you aren't already familiar with both the battery and the charger, you absolutely need to verify compatibility before using!

 

[Art Deco]

And if a store is charging a variety of batteries for cheap ... they don't verify anything.

 

[AvalancheRun]

People will always make mistakes, even thse with good intentions could leave it on a charge overnight.

The charger needs to be smart enough to stop charging when the pack is beyond a certain state of charge. Just like your laptop. If that's not the case with most charging equipment, then the law needs to require it. I would only buy UL listed equipment for my EV, same for my e-bike.

 

[Art Deco]

People will always make mistakes, even thse with good intentions could leave it on a charge overnight.

The charger needs to be smart enough to stop charging when the pack is beyond a certain state of charge. Just like your laptop. If that's not the case with most charging equipment, then the law needs to require it. I would only buy UL listed equipment for my EV, same for my e-bike.

Take a hard look at how few ebikes are UL certified sometime.

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

I store & charge in ammo cans on a cart under a smoke detector using a timer and always supervised.

View attachment 156362

Should the smoke detector go off, I'm hoping I have enough time to push or pull the cart outside with a garden rake.

I use this mechanical DPDT twist timer

View attachment 156363

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A4IOXS/?coliid=I1ZMNBYN6QSK53&colid=1KERB770YRAW3&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

It's a double pole switch which disconnects AC from the charger as well as DC from the battery to avoid backward discharge. That way, the charger and battery are both isolated.

I don't trust electronic timers. I've had issues in the past with unexpected results caused by the frequent power outages, blips & surges we get here.

I did something similar. I got a truck bed tool box and mounted wheels to the bottom. It sits outside and is weather proof. I have a heavy duty power strip mounted inside with the cord going out through a grommeted hole in the back.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Timers are a good idea however, pack voltage is still present at the charging port. Even though the voltage from the wall socket has been cut off, pack voltage is still present at the battery side of the charger. Im not sure if that is much of a concern though, since the amperage is lower.

I use these…

Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Q6QFV1M?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

With these, I can monitor the amps flowing from the wall socket to the charger. When the amperage starts to fall, I’ll either remove the charger or continue to monitor until amperage falls to zero, then disconnect.

You don’t need to be on the same WIFI to monitor, either. I can charge anywhere at my home and monitor away from my home. Though, I’m always home when charging. It’s just nice to have the option and constant visibility.

If you're somewhat handy. This is an easy build.
DIY Smart Charger
Charges to a specific voltage (any percentage desired) down to 0.1V resolution from any start SOC and breaks the connection between the charger and battery when done. No need to guess time needed and I've used it for every charge since put together without issue.

 

[PatriciaK]

The big take-away….

“Reasons for the uptick of these fires are myriad. They include a lack of regulation and safety testing for individually owned devices, hazardous charging practices (like using mismatched equipment or overcharging) and a lack of secure charging areas in a population-dense city with numerous residential buildings, where most fires start.”

Also, plugging any old cheap Chinese charger into any old cheap Chinese battery (not all Chinese batteries are cheap) that will accept the connection...

People moan about regulation, but there's a reason lithium batteries in other devices and lithium batteries in cars (except for rare instances) don't catch fire. Also, there's a reason why bike battery fires rarely happen in Europe. That reason is effective, enforced, regulation.

 

[Kayakguy]

Also, plugging any old cheap Chinese charger into any old cheap Chinese battery (not all Chinese batteries are cheap) that will accept the connection...

People moan about regulation, but there's a reason lithium batteries in other devices and lithium batteries in cars (except for rare instances) don't catch fire. Also, there's a reason why bike battery fires rarely happen in Europe. That reason is effective, enforced, regulation.

I charge indoors, but never unattended nor overnight. I unplug as soon as I see the green light. (The charger is a simple 2 amp charger with little info on the tiny display--but it came with the Ariel Rider C class, and there have been no problems so far).

But if I wanted to build a really safe charging station, I'd start with a cast iron utility laundry sink, a deep one. The cast iron would contain any fire. Of course the top opening of the sink would have to have some kind of reliably waterproof (and fire proof) roof over it, and one that wouldn't block air circulation. The AC cable could go up through the drain hole. I'm picturing it on legs rather than resting on the ground.

Someone once suggested adapting a barbecue cooker, again because of being designed to withstand fire. But I would be wary of cast aluminum, because AL can burn (remember the British warship with an aluminum superstructure that was destroyed in the Falkland war with Argentina? Like that.)

 

[Mike_V]

The WOLF was too expensive to manufacture and you can not have one now because the production line shut down. Of course.
wire bonding TESLA style
Mine: MJ1 cells

 

[Mike_V]

IDIOTS
It's not the chargers GDMIT
ELON MUSK gave us the WIRE BONDING patents FREEE to keepus safe from this SH%$ G%T% "Y"&^ "MYGGGTTG

 

[Urbancowboy]

I store & charge in ammo cans on a cart under a smoke detector using a timer and always supervised.

View attachment 156362

Should the smoke detector go off, I'm hoping I have enough time to push or pull the cart outside with a garden rake.

I use this mechanical DPDT twist timer

View attachment 156363

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003A4IOXS/?coliid=I1ZMNBYN6QSK53&colid=1KERB770YRAW3&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

It's a double pole switch which disconnects AC from the charger as well as DC from the battery to avoid backward discharge. That way, the charger and battery are both isolated.

I don't trust electronic timers. I've had issues in the past with unexpected results caused by the frequent power outages, blips & surges we get here.

I like the Ammo Box Idea and also the Mechanical Timer setup. Definitely something I will consider once I build my permanent setup.
Thanks - UC