UL 2849 Certified

[Brooklyn Tony]

Remember the HUGE negative press hoverboards got in the after the Christmas of 2015? Between regulations banning their street use and repeated reports of house fires. It pretty much killed the hoverboard market by early 2016. It could very well happen to eBikes since these batteries are also using the same energy dense Li-Ion packs. I think the only reason ebikes have escaped widespread problems are due to the relative high cost and these weren't rushed to market. So I was curious to see if there have been any eBike standards established. I came across this:

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Are there any ebike manufacturers currently or in the process of being UL 2849 certified?
Are there any other eBike certifications in the US or abroad you're aware of?

 

[Chris Nolte]

To my understanding the only company that holds the UL and CE certification is Bosch. It's completely voluntary at this point though, it looks like this might be going in the direction of changing that though. From my perspective that's a good thing though. It will help preserve the safety and the integrity of this industry. I see a lot of products on the market that I don't even want to allow into my store, let alone ride.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Remember the HUGE negative press hoverboards got in the after the Christmas of 2015? Between regulations banning their street use and repeated reports of house fires. It pretty much killed the hoverboard market by early 2016. It could very well happen to eBikes since these batteries are also using the same energy dense Li-Ion packs. I think the only reason ebikes have escaped widespread problems are due to the relative high cost and these weren't rushed to market. So I was curious to see if there have been any eBike standards established. I came across this:

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Are there any ebike manufacturers currently or in the process of being UL 2849 certified?
Are there any other eBike certifications in the US or abroad you're aware of?

There are 2 big battery manufacturers and they do offer CE certifications and in some cases, they offer UL as well depending on the market.
In fact many reputed cell suppliers offer UL and CE but when you build a pack out of it, then it becomes a different system altogether.

1. TD Hi Tech - they supplied battery packs to Stromer, Benz- Smart, Easy Motion, Grace etc. They still supply giant batteries to Stromer.
2. BMZ - probably the largest ebike battery manufacturer. - they supply to BULLS, Hercules, Kreidler etc.
   This is the only company is the world that is offering 4 year warranty on the batteries.
   
   
3. When it comes to DIY, EM3ev and Grin offer outstanding quality and support.
   In fact, GRIN is the only small supplier offering UN 38.3 approval currently.
   
   How the batteries are handled by the dealer and the customer make a bigger difference than simple certification.

Even with tested battery packs but accidents can happen when you have 150 battery packs that re active (not in deep sleep mode).

So, the bottom line is, even though the certifications are nice to have, Li-ion batteries need careful handling and maintenance.

 

[Dewey]

BRAIN report UL 2849 has been published dated January 2, 2020.

 

[harryS]

Hey Ravi, do you know where a layman can get a gist of what's in UL 2849 (without having to buy it).

Many years ago, I was responsible for my employer's UL/CE/CSA approvals and recall how strict they were on consumer products. I could anticipate what they want in a charger. Be interesting to see what's required on a battery,

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Hey Ravi, do you know where a layman can get a gist of what's in UL 2849 (without having to buy it).

Many years ago, I was responsible for my employer's UL/CE/CSA approvals and recall how strict they were on consumer products. I could anticipate what they want in a charger. Be interesting to see what's required on a battery,

Not sure, Harry.
If I hear back from UL, I will share it with you.