PSA: warning about Juiced battery casing

[Chazmo]

Hi gang.

Just joined and happy to be here. I live in central Massachusetts and I own a Juiced RipCurrent S (RCS) that I bought about a year ago. I adore this bike. It’s been transformative to my lifestyle and I can’t say enough about it. Thank you Juiced (R. I. P., Juiced) for building such a wonderful bike for me/us!

What I would like to warn folks about caused a situation that arose as a result of my riding through muddy/salty/slushy conditions. My 52V 19.2Ah battery has an exposed (unsealed) area, shown below, at the bike’s bottom bracket — when mounted on the RCS, that is. I’m talking about the 5 rectangle area in the picture which is next to the fuse compartment (which is sealed and is not a problem). I believe this area is some sort of charging port, but I’m not sure since it is unused for any purpose on the RCS.

Anyway, what I have done on my battery is duct-taped over this section to prevent contaminants from getting into the port. As, below:

What happened is that a fire started in the circuitry which ruined the battery, but luckily didn’t ruin the bike. I don’t think any Lithium got ignited, and I was able to quickly put out the fire which started shortly after I pulled the bike over after riding through some salty slush on the trail and then on the road. The taped-up battery shown earlier is not the one that had the fire.

A picture of the one damaged by fire is below. This battery is kaput.

Anyway, I strongly urge folks to cover over that port so nothing can get in the battery.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Hi gang.

Just joined and happy to be here. I live in central Massachusetts and I own a Juiced RipCurrent S (RCS) that I bought about a year ago. I adore this bike. It’s been transformative to my lifestyle and I can’t say enough about it. Thank you Juiced (R. I. P., Juiced) for building such a wonderful bike for me/us!

What I would like to warn folks about caused a situation that arose as a result of my riding through muddy/salty/slushy conditions. My 52V 19.2Ah battery has an exposed (unsealed) area, shown below, at the bike’s bottom bracket — when mounted on the RCS, that is. I’m talking about the 5 rectangle area in the picture which is next to the fuse compartment (which is sealed and is not a problem). I believe this area is some sort of charging port, but I’m not sure since it is unused for any purpose on the RCS.

View attachment 189121

Anyway, what I have done on my battery is duct-taped over this section to prevent contaminants from getting into the port. As, below:

View attachment 189122

What happened is that a fire started in the circuitry which ruined the battery, but luckily didn’t ruin the bike. I don’t think any Lithium got ignited, and I was able to quickly put out the fire which started shortly after I pulled the bike over after riding through some salty slush on the trail and then on the road. The taped-up battery shown earlier is not the one that had the fire.

A picture of the one damaged by fire is below. This battery is kaput.
View attachment 189123

Anyway, I strongly urge folks to cover over that port so nothing can get in the battery.

Welcome aboard! Close call. Odd that the designers didn't do more to keep the outside world out of those ports given their location.

 

[Chazmo]

Welcome aboard! Close call. Odd that the designers didn't do more to keep the outside world out of those ports given their location.

It’s weird, Jeremy. The battery is a wonderful piece of technology, but leaving an unsealed area like that (which exposes circuitry) I don’t understand. I also exacerbated the problem by riding without the fenders, so I partly blame myself for the situation. Easy solution though! I just wanted to let folks know.

Perhaps that “port” is a diagnostic port or a fast-charge port. The reason I think that is that after the fire the battery worked fine but the charger no longer works. Anyway, I’m disposing of the damaged battery.

 

[m@Robertson]

Wow thats bad. I recommend you take a shot at upping your game on the tape. 3M 2228 'mastic' tape is available at Home Depot in the electrical section. Its official name is 'moisture sealing electrical tape' and basically its a strip of adhesive rubber that is completely malleable, so you can squish it down and into those holes and block them forever against anything. It might not be the easiest fit if space is tight, but you can spend some time working it thin, and then cover it with that same gorilla tape so its not sticky on the outside anymore.

Since Juiced isn't going to be selling any more batteries, I'm sure preserving what you've got is important.

 

[6zfshdb]

I would store that damaged battery in a safe place, outdoors if possible, until you can dispose of it. There have been incidents where lithium batteries ignited long after getting wet.

 

[J.R.]

I was thinking seal it with neutral cure electronic grade silicone, but the tape noted above might be enough.

Clear Electronic Grade Silicone​

Amazon.com

 

[Chazmo]

I would store that damaged battery in a safe place, outdoors if possible, until you can dispose of it. There have been incidents where lithium batteries ignited long after getting wet.

Exactly what I've done! Thanks! We think alike.