E-Bike battery fires are in the news.
But, how do we avoid them? Today, I’m going to go over the facts and figures surrounding these unfortunate rare incidents and how to make sure an e-bike doesn’t explode in your home.
0:00 Breaking News
0:49 How often does this happen?
1:34 An age-old problem…
2:42 The cause of e-bike fires
3:14 Incorrect chargers
4:13 Battery Management Systems
5:43 Overcharging
6:13 Government Requirements
6:35 What next?
#electroheads #electricbike #electricscooter
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Hello Electro heads if you’ve been watching the news lately you’ve probably seen the warnings issued by the British press that ebikes across the country have been setting homes of Blaze and even causing death in some instances these unfortunate cases are very disheartening ebacs are meant to be the
Safer alternative method of travel and seeing that some of them are catching fire does understandably reduce confidence in the adoption of e rides but remember that electric bikes are still by definition a much lower risk than using a car and lithium ion batteries are for the most part very
Safe and low maintenance or they wouldn’t be used to charge most of our electronic devices we use today a few unfortunate cases as with any new tech is going to make the news and cause panic but rest assured today I’m going to be running through some facts and
Figures that will help you understand what to look out for when purchasing an electric bike or scooter or anything more specifically understand how to pick the right type of ebike battery and what not to do with them now while the number of fires relating to ebikes is naturally
Increasing due to the popularity of ebikes rising the number of those actually Catching Fire is a very small fraction last year Insurance Group Z reported that there were just 167 Eide fires in the UK those 167 e rides being one of a million E Scooters and 500,000 ebikes that makes a percentage of
Explosions just 0.011% in the first 6 months of this year there have been 73 ebike fires reported now obviously I don’t want to invalidate or discredit the severity of these unfortunate instances but these reports clearly indicate that faulty lithium ion batteries are the main cause of the fires not just electric bikes as
A whole and I totally get it it’s easy to make the assumption that the devices themselves are at fault it’s an easy conclusion to jump to but do you not remember when house fires from exploding laptop batteries were in the news back in 2006 NS barley released the song
Crazy which is an absolute banger but so it turns out with Dell laptops a guardian report stated that Dell issued a warning that 4.1 million laptops were at risk of exploding and catching fire in a humiliating display the computer giant were forced to confess that there were problems with their computers
Batteries as reports of exploding laptops began to crop up worldwide but now laptops are ubiquitous and there are even more examples do you not remember back in the 1940s do you remember that in the ‘ 40s when microwave radiation was implemented into ovens as a means to heat our food
Quicker didn’t trust them did we we thought our DNA was going to be mutated and we give rise to a generation of mutated Offspring but no we ended up inventing the microwave and causing health problems longterm instead and do you remember when GPS navigation was rumored to start brainwashing users and
Make us blindly follow wherever they told us okay I made that one up I didn’t do enough research but you see my point right from 2003 to 2006 there were 200 reports of Apple MacBook batteries being the cause of house fires but today people don’t regard laptops with the
Same animosity as they do electric bikes all sounds quite familiar to what’s going on right now so what exactly is the cause for ebike Batteries cashing fire in the first place well the main cause is a process known as thermal runaway which happens as a result of battery cells overheating due to an
Internal fault or extreme temperatures when a battery cell reaches a certain temperature it will result in exothermic reactions producing more heat than can be dissipated to its surroundings meaning the internal structure of the battery cell will collapse causing flammable and toxic gases to release this then starts a chain reaction of the
Surrounding ebike battery cells to catch fire creating an irreversible state of thermal runaway the London fire brigade has recently revealed that 40% of ebike fires are actually caused by people using Universal charges not using the correct charging equipment that is compatible with the ebikes voltage is extremely dangerous and can easily
Prompt thermal runaway a recent survey conducted by electrical Safety First Reve that out of A th000 ebikes and E scooter owners 43% of the poll use secondary aftermarket charges to power their rides out of those questions over one in three admitted their charger wasn’t compatible with the voltage of
The battery and one in five said they didn’t even know so there’s a clear percentage of ebik battery owners who haven’t been educated in the safety of charging a plev battery so if anyone watching owns an electric bike or is interested in buying an electric bike use the correct conversion kit do not
Use a secondary universal charger the results can literally be fatal and I don’t want to have to write and record another video about batteries so take note okay electrical Safety First also strongly recommends not to charge a device close to a fire escape or an exit doing this will increase the risk of
Trapping yourself or others in a building during a fire when our government don’t regulate electric vehicles this actually opens a window for manufacturing companies to make a quick book by using cheap poorly made batteries for their products but how do you notice the signs that your ebike battery hasn’t been produced safely one
Of the key elements that an ebik battery can lack is a battery management system or a BMS a battery management system is essentially a small small printed circuit board that controls and monitors the charging and discharging of the battery pack when using an electric bite battery it’s vital the battery remains
Balanced which basically means the voltage throughout the battery is consistent across all align battery cells a decent BMS will detect this if it changes and shut the battery down and stop it from being charged or discharged so when purchasing an electric bike be sure to inquire if the kit comes fitted
With a BMS as this will be a clear indicator the manufacturer was conscientious when it comes to the safety of the battery keep a lookout for reputable sorry I don’t know I’m struggling with that one keep a lookout for reputable keep a lookout for reput guys I’m so sorry try and keep a
Lookout for reputable I can’t say it you’re going to have to dub me you’re going to have to ADR me try and keep a lookout for reputable company names of battery manufacturer such as Bosch or Samsung if you have a battery by companies such as these two this means
The final assembly of these batteries will almost certainly have been produced in properly regulated factories if your ebike ever gets damaged make sure to take your ebike battery to a reputable authorized dealer for your ebike brand also before I go any further I’m obligated to ask that if you’re enjoying
This video please give it a like and make sure to subscribe to the channel we also have an online store where we sell the best ebikes E Scooters and accessories that we ensure are supplied by the safest trustworthy manufacturers another key cause of thermal runaway is actually overcharging your reback’s
Battery which can cause its battery cells to overheat and ultimately catch fire look out for signs of an overcharged battery like the battery feeling too hot to touch during charging the battery’s charge level no longer increasing during a certain point and perhaps the biggest red flag the voltage being higher than the manufacturer’s
Recommended range in other words don’t leave your battery on full charge for a month any less though fine no I’m joking make sure you keep an eye on it not like all the time but just don’t be charging it for ages use your common sense currently government requirements stipulate that electrically assisted
Pedal Cycles must show the power output and the batter’s voltage as well as display the manufacturer of the motor the electric motor must also have a maximum power output of 250 wats and Riders should not be able to exceed 15.5 mph when riding the like but while
That’s all well and good there are no specific regulations on conversion kits so all in all what do we need to act on again buying batteries from a reputable manufacturer and using the appropriate charging kit is a must using a universal charger is a huge danger when it comes
To charging lithium ion batteries and mustn’t be taken lightly new technologies and methods of Transport are being introduced all the time and accompanying risks are often inevitable during the process electric bikes for the most part offer more environmentally friendly means of transport a less congesting and safer ways of getting
Around to reduce these rare unfortunate incidents we must strive for more education regulation and understanding of what goes into an ebite battery rather than hastely right off the vehicles they power but what do you guys think again we encourage debate here at Lucky Heads please feel free to comment
Any insight you think you could offer and I’ll do my best to read them and get back to you we test ride all of our products before selling them and ensure they are built by the most reliable manufacturers to make your life as safe as possible because we love you take
Care of yourselves guys and I’ll see you in the next one W
24 Comments
It's because idiots keep tampering with the bikes and trying to bypass the limiters. Same story with e-scooters.
I would recommend EM3ev for batteries, they make great batteries and they are produced in China by an English man.
Homemade batteries could be a fire risk if you dont know what you are doing.
I purchased a cheap 52v lithium battery and the on off switch on it didn't work, there was no power coming out of the battery.
I carefully took the case off of it and discovered that one of the wires wasn't even connected, but it did have a bms,so I fixed the wire and use it on my ebike here in Thailand.
I've been building lithium battery packs for years now.
I'm building one now as I write this.
There is nothing wrong with using.
Cheap third party battery chargers LOL.
It goes without saying it needs to be the same voltage as the battery pack.
If charger has wrong voltage & higher amp rating.
Than BMS is rated
It doesn't matter if you got expensive OG charger or cheap Chinese knock-off.
It's still going to over or under charge battery pack.
Fires normally happen with cheap fake cells.
With cheap BMS board
some cells got out of balance.
And other cells get over charged.
Also lot of battery builders don't build them properly.
And cells rub against each other.
then damage then fires
I charge my bike battery in a metal box. If it catches fire all i got do is fill with water to put it out. Although very unlikely.
Excellent! Clear information about the level of risk, causes and how to avoid it. Thank you!
Battery management systems only regulate voltage in groups of cells if one cell is high and another is low, the group is defined OK and voltage is still applied to the high voltage cells. Only the groups are balanced
If your frightened of lithium ion you want to fly drones with lithium polymer, got to keep them outside
I do deliveroo on my ebike and one of the apartment buildings I regularly deliver to has a notice about no ebikes being allowed within the premisies.
3:14 40% of fire burnt bikes had aftermarket chargers, but also 43% of bike owners questioned have aftermarket chargers. Maybe its nothing to do with the charger. And more to do with people removing their BMS or building their own packs from used cells.
Dear Lekkiyeds another great vid, sound advice, totally R E P U T A B L E 😂 – is he from Rochdale 😂 well done Champ!
I often wondered if most of these Ebike explosions where from miss use, in other words using the wrong charger,
Im in a facebook ebike group where i was arguing with a guy who was recommending a charger for a brand of ebike, the charger was 4.5amp but the batterys max charging was 3amps,
He was boasting about how quicker he can charge his battery over standard chargers, even when i pointed out his errors he was quick to jump on me and tell me how wrong i was, end of day if thats what he wants to do then fair enough, but dont recommend dangerous activity's to others who are alot less educated in the care of lithium batterys
I almost think we are now at the stage where the Government needs to step in and start educating people on the risks of incorrect use of batterys, cause from my experience majority of the population are completely unaware of it
Trivialising risk can come back to bite you. You have by definition on here a vested interest . 7 years on Grenfell tower still stands as a burned out grim reminder of what fire can do even today – no one imagined that – and the enquiry is still in progress. No one you speak to believes the magnitude of the Luton fire with the warping of steel girders and disintegration of concrete floors likely £50m consequential losses .was only achieved with petrol and diesel . Lithium fires burning at treble the temperatures of gasoline . Enquiries in time will established facts on all these events . Above all for credibility you need objective reporting .
the battery chemistry with poor thermal runaway characteristics should have much greater regulations focused on these faliure modes over a certian capacity and LFP should be used in these products far more, which does not have a thermal runaway risk
My ebikes battery died on me and it was covered by the warranty but the damn shop is dragging its feet by not replacing it. They offer no advise how to get rid of it. The problem with ebikes batteries if its damage it could be the battery management system as well. In my view ebikes batteries must have fire proof batteries, a fire poof case, a explosion proof case, and they must be water proof not water resistant.
What i advise is for people to take their battery out/off the bike and put it in fire/explosion proof bag. If the battery is on the bike and cannot be removed, i would cover it with a fireproof and explosion proof sleeve. If you live in the UK or northern Europe where there is it rains a lot do not buy ebikes, as i have said before they are not waterproof and if water gets into the battery it could damage it. The goes for controller, display unit and motor in the rear wheel. Also there issues of the battery may be being unstable if they are damaged. They are also in impossible to dispose of as Royal mail will not handle them in postage. This means you have to go to a specialise disposal postal service and its not clear where you get take them once damaged. I would ask the fire brigade or your local council what to do. Bike shops are useless on this, they should not be as they are selling ebikes without proper customer care.
If you do not follow my advise you could lose a lot of money and potentially lose your home in a fire or worse. Do not get me wrong ebikes are great when they work but its a new tech and we the customer are not being told the whole truth about them. One day ebikes will be very common and very safe, (due to improve tech and laws) and their range and power will be brilliant but at the moment they are not safe in my view or worth the money. Also check out your bike type, can you get a replacement battery if the one you have goes bad, how is disposal etc and how good is the shop you bought them from? If a shop has a just a mobile number avoid them like the plague, do not get cheap Chinese batteries off amazon also put them in a fire bag.
V sound battery advice whatever the PLEV. Manufacturers using sub standard or sub spec batteries on their products are putting their entire brand at risk, as consumers will generally blame the brand itself rather than the make / type of batteries installed.
Alas even with reputable PLEV / battery brands, serious issues can also be a result of rider abuse, crashes, inadequate or no regular maintenance checks 😕
Keep up the great work Electroheads! 👍🙏
Consumer advice for battery safety should included "likelyhood", "severity" and "detectable" i.e. FMEA risks analysis.
1 – It dangerous to brush aside the 40% of ebike fires came from 3rd party universal charger and not addressing the 60%
2 – Battery technology with higher than 100WH were considered dangerous by airline. so it not wright to say laptop is now safer. When dell battery fire happened in 2005 due to no air circulation to laptop blocked when using thick table cloth causing the 60nm chip to overheat affecting battery to overheat.
3 – UL standards for battery and charging safety requirement for BMS have only been introduced this year. So it take time for this design change to take place for consumer to see. Rather than relying Samsung to self regulate battery safety, note 8 remembered?
Some amount of required certification would help. There are extensive electrical codes for houses and the EU regulated motors severely but that's not where the hazard lies. A modicum of regulation for batteries and chargers is appropriate.
167 battery fire incidents is actually pretty bad. Going by your numbers, that means 1 in 9,000 e-bike batteries caught fire that year. For context, the UK saw 1 road death per 20,000 vehicles in 2019. Obviously, you can't really equate deaths to fires since a fire is technically survivable, but the point still stands that you have a higher chance of your e-bike catching fire than dying in a car in the UK. Even with your example of laptops, modern laptops and cellphones have a 1 in a million chance of catching fire. So the rate of e-bike battery fires is over 100x that of mobile devices.
I'm still a firm believer that e-bikes are the future of mobility, but lets not try to downplay the numbers to forward the agenda. They can and must be made safer. There's currently a wild-west situation going on with no-name Chinese manufacturers pumping out low quality batteries with incompatible charging equipment.
It took me a while to realise this channel is just a marketing sales channel.
it doesn’t matter what percent they still all exploded. Keep your number to yourself your industry is dying, accept the fact.
E Bike not safe , anything electrical will cause fire.
I just sold my e-scooter. There have been so many fires and I don’t have a safe place to charge it. The lithium batteries have a long way to go before they are safe for use in vehicles. There has to be an internal system which will cool down a hot cell before thermal runways occurs.
An important note that can cause would also be e-scooter and e-bike theft.
They will be resold without the charger causing the incorrect chargers to be used.
A big Also…all the warnings that vape users are given to only carry spare Li ion batteries in approved cases, I wonder how many think it'll never happen but enough people have had their pocket explode for it to pop up on news occasionally