Question is were they stock bikes or modified? Rebuilt or aftermarket batteries? Proper chargers? Were the batteries damaged by dropping or owner negligence? Other things that I've not thought of? Too many possibilities that were not the fault of the original equipment.
RAD Power Bikes Going Bust
- Thread starter PedalUma
- Start date
Base
Bike nerd
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- Europe
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- in the exact center of the Netherlands
read the recall documentation https://www.cpsc.gov/Warnings/2026/...o-Fire-Hazard-Risk-of-Serious-Injury-or-Death
In the nearly 6 years I've owned my Rover ST it's never gotten wet or even damp.
Base
Bike nerd
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- Europe
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- in the exact center of the Netherlands
the air contains water. that will condensate inside you battery, so there will always be some moisture inside the plastic encasing. I've been working in the E_bike bussines since mid '90's and have seen many "waterproof" batteries with moistures inside it. So it doesn't need to be drowned to contain a lot of water.
I suppose that even though my 2020Rover St. has never gotten wet and is always kept indoors when not in use, that I will just buy one of their safety shield 13AH batteries. I think the originals are 14AH but I'll be 77 in a couple of months and my rides these days are under 20 miles so I'm sure the 10% loss won't affect me much.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
boy that's the last nail in their coffin.
scottsdalecommuter
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- USA
sad to see, my rad mission has been a wonderful bike the past 4 years with minimal maintenance and really nice to ride, i have been surprised how well my ebikes have held up and would have thought i would have bought a new one by now, my brother bought an ebike and enjoyed it for a couple summers but then found a scooter was just as easy and a little easier to store. i was shocked how fast he sold his used ebike and for a good price too. seems the market is just flooded with ebikes.
Old-tool-guy
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- USA
Oh so you think kamala or sleepy joe would have saved them? And considering how well your economy and politics are coing, you have no room to talk. Besides, the tarrifs apply to every brand since none are made here, and it just gets passed on to the consumer.
PedalUma
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- Petaluma, CA
Rad Power Bikes in crisis? Seattle company hit with battery warning but cannot afford a fix
With 31 fires and nearly three-quarter–million dollars in damage linked to its batteries, Rad Power Bikes says a full recall would bankrupt the company
Rad Power Bikes in crisis? Seattle company hit with battery warning but cannot afford a fix
With 31 fires and nearly three-quarter–million dollars in damage linked to its batteries, Rad Power Bikes says a full recall would bankrupt the company
www.cyclingweekly.com
Guess anything is possible but that seems highly unlikely. I'm curious that you have seen many "waterproof" batteries with moisture inside it. Do you know if any of those batteries have never been exposed to anything other than occasional humidity?
Just for fun I looked up the number of bikes rad has sold. It said as of 2023 they have sold over 600,000 bikes and one can assume some people also bought extra batteries. 26 fires out of 600,000 bikes tells me that probably they are the result of owner abuse as in getting them wet, improper charging, a damaged battery from dropping it and other things I can't think of.
PedalUma
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- Petaluma, CA
RAD has 700,000 bikes in circulation with 31 fires. What we do not know is how many $550 batteries need to be recalled, 10%? 70,000 x 550 = $38,500,000. If each fire is a $1,000,000 liability payout x 31 = $31,000,000 with only more to come.
Base
Bike nerd
- Region
- Europe
- City
- in the exact center of the Netherlands
As an e-bike expert for several brands I've seen many RMA's from different vendors. Also prior to that had to deal with several reworks when I was working at a LBS. lets put it this way, all batteries on the market will have moisture build up inside the casing. It depends on the brand how they manage this moisture. Even big e-cars have this issue and work around in different ways, some brands use the heating of the batterypack for drying the battery, others just vents.
these battery packs for example had a recall basically due to corrosion from condensation
Rad Power Bikes in crisis? Seattle company hit with battery warning but cannot afford a fix
With 31 fires and nearly three-quarter–million dollars in damage linked to its batteries, Rad Power Bikes says a full recall would bankrupt the company
Rad Power Bikes in crisis? Seattle company hit with battery warning but cannot afford a fix
With 31 fires and nearly three-quarter–million dollars in damage linked to its batteries, Rad Power Bikes says a full recall would bankrupt the company
I get it but the question still remains. Were those 31 fires the result of product defect or owner negligence? It seems to me that if it was product defect there would have been a whole lot more than 31. Guess we will never know.
gromike
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- City of Dreams
The problem is bigger than the batteries on Rad bikes, as it appears to be an environmental issue that batteries in the past were not designed to deal with. though something that was known about for years. To Rad's credit they did come out with their SafeShield batteries.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
yes a bike that gets wet silly who would ever have thought of that.
PedalUma
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- Petaluma, CA
As @Base points out batteries are not dive watches. By heating and cooling they breathe. Ambient moisture in the air condenses like on the outside of a glass of ice tea when they cool. Also those cradles with the semi-exterior battery design hold water at their base. A fully exterior battery wouldn't do that, nor a fully interior battery.
John Bowman
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- USA
If the battery case is fully waterproof, the only moisture is that inside the case at assembly. If a desiccant is placed inside the case, and the battery connections made from non corroding metal, seems there would not be a problem.
PedalUma
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- Petaluma, CA
Two things: If a battery is fully waterproof it would also be sealed from air. You know how a shampoo bottle can pop its lid in your luggage in an airplane? A battery housing needs to breathe a little to account for pressure differentials. These differentials also happen with temp changes. Bike frames all have little holes and are not totally sealed for the same reason and if not treated steel frame will internally rust with time.
More significantly, in a totally other front I highly suspect that these batteries were not allowing for load leveling of the cells. That is super important. The batteries I use do allow for periodic load leveling. I charge to 90% all the time. This prolongs battery life over the years. Except just before a ride, once per season or every 3-mos; I charge them to 100% to load level the cells.
This is what AI says on the topic:
Problems with lithium (Li) batteries out of load level include irreversible damage from over-discharging, such as electrode damage and increased internal resistance, and shortened lifespan due to over-charging or cell imbalance. Over-discharging below the safe voltage threshold can cause permanent chemical and physical damage, while over-charging can lead to dangerous conditions like thermal runaway or bursting. Cell imbalance can lock away usable energy and lead to premature shutdown of the entire battery pack, even if other cells have charge remaining
