E bike battery fires

[how]

My partner has become worried about all of the reported e bike battery fires. Perhaps too much time has been spent on u tube videos of these occurrences.

so because most of the solutions to these fire issues have simply failed in any independent tests and
I also like to charge my batteries off the bikes & inside my home (for theft security and away from freezing temps).....

so in response....
I only use stock-brand name manufactured batteries.
I use a luna charger that can limit the charging input to 1 amp and to either 80/90 or 100%.
I charge my battery in a welders toolbox that's been fully lined with a 1 inch layer of fortified & re-enforced concrete.
That tool box is internally vented through the wall to the outside with an insulated 3/4  black iron pipe.
The area immediately around this tool box is protected by a fire proof hardi board.
Have a furnace turbine fan run air handler beside it that is set up to automatically direct vent any fumes to the outside that can escape from this fire vault.

probably over kill but I guess that's what most insurance turns out to be.

Has this e bike battery thermal run away issue been a concern for other rad owners and if so what has been your solution for it?

[inoxa]

i would say that is excessive overkill.
i charge mine inside the house but on the kitchen counter. 
i also use a timer that shuts it off after 5 or so hours.
never had a battery problem with my Rad Rover 5 and over 4000 miles.
charge after every use probably 300 days a year.

[Eric7]

If you want to be ultra-safe, there is no solution. Even Tesla cars gets on fire and I think they use name brand everything and lots of electronics. That is why cars in the old days were stored in garages not attached to the house.

It is the nature of energy storage. Gasoline, or batteries that hold a lot of charge. When these things fail, all that energy is released. Battery powered cars/bicycles are energy efficient, but there is still a need to store a lot of energy. There is no safe way to contain it. Having an electric charger at home means you are slowing filling up a lot of energy.

The other problem is that the electrolyte in the battery is also burnable (inflammable in older English, flammable in modern English usage). This is unlike lead acid batteries or carbon batteries.  With a short and heat, a fire becomes almost automatic. This is unlike a shorted lead acid battery where the acid and the lead would not burn if you cut it open and hold a match to it.  If you cut open a Li battery and hold a match, charge or no charge, the Li battery electrolyte will burn.

The risk is minimized with quality parts. But it is like storing a can of gasoline in the garage for the lawn mower. If it goes, the whole house goes.  It is best to have a shed for this stuff.  The original poster's solution is very good - just make sure you store all your large batteries in it.

[SemperVee]

 
  The NON problem that just won't die from Trolls. 

[Tree]

25 years ago, my brother's girlfriend's dryer caught fire.

i now keep my dryer in a fire proof box, that is enclosed by a fire proof room. that room is 10,000 meters from my house to prevent any such fire from spreading. It's also on a fireproof slab.

no, not really. none of that. fires happen. they're extremely rare. you've got a better chance of lightening causing a house fire than you do a battery causing a house fire.

[Eric7]

I understand the concern about trolls but I, at least, is not trolling.

Battery fires, electric car fires, and gasoline car fires are real. Without even getting into e-bikes, there were recalls on Tesla (electric cars) and even gasoline cars over fire dangers.  Phones, laptops, vaping machines all have fire issues.

Maybe the danger is low but it is there. There is danger whenever energy is transmitted or stored.

[Tree]

I understand the concern about trolls but I, at least, is not trolling.

Battery fires, electric car fires, and gasoline car fires are real. Without even getting into e-bikes, there were recalls on Tesla (electric cars) and even gasoline cars over fire dangers.  Phones, laptops, vaping machines all have fire issues.

Maybe the danger is low but it is there. There is danger whenever energy is transmitted or stored.

sure.

there is danger in driving a car. there's danger in crossing the street. there's danger in walking your dog. there's danger in leaving your house. there's danger in staying in house.

there is, quite literally, danger everywhere, but if you spend your time worrying about things that are VERY low percentage dangerous, you're going to live a miserable life.

[Ishy]

I was told once. Everything can kill you.  Everything.   

     Here's the thing.   If you spend 3 hours worrying about something with the probability of killing you at 1 in 1000000 .
That's an underestimate based on the number of batteries that cause fires and ones that don't.  If you take. California alone I bet there are at least a million lithium batteries in Anaheim alone!

   Dryer fires and Grease fires are top of the lists to worry about.   Battery fires are very very low on the totem pole.

So...  If you worried about everything that has a tiny chance of killing you or causing a fire then you would be worrying 24/7  365.   Your Prevention prep is a bit excessive for the actual risk.  Unless you also charge your cell phones, and all batteries in such a case then it's probably not going to be effective.

   Ebikes are still a big Free for all with many many companies doing everything they can to try to compete.   That includes battery supplier compromises....

A better use for that case would be to put Any Cheap rechargeables  like Knockoff Bluetooth speakers or battery banks, anything  else that might not be from a company with a big established reputation  at stake.

Those kinds of items are more likely to contain batteries that don't have the quality control and sometimes even the safety mechanisms in place to prevent combustion.

Pick your battles.   Ride your bike, wear a Good helmet, be visible, in a car wear a seatbelt. Clean your dryer vents and lint traps,  keep your stove clean and live your life🥰.

    Now where can I get an adapter that lets me use Tool batteries as a emergency power supply for my bike🤣
 

[Altema]

Here's how I charge mine!

[TarugoKing]

I have this one when I charge my battery. 

https://amzn.to/46kiJwC

[JimInPT]

I have this one when I charge my battery. 

https://amzn.to/46kiJwC

Thanks for that link!  I just ordered one for my MiniST2 battery when it's (rarely) off the bike, and another different size to hold my two electric-weedeater Ego batteries.  With the 15% discount offered at the moment, the price is pretty good, but here's a tip in return for anybody thinking of these - create separate orders for different bags to get full discount; it was calculated at a lesser rate when combined into one order.

EDIT: received them next day from Amazon and they are very good quality for the price - quite well-made, and if the video on the Amazon listing page is truthful, setting fire to them seems to be harmless.  Haven't tried taking the battery off my MiniST2 but I'm sure it'll fit - the one for my two Ego batteries fits like it was made for them.  Thanks again for the tip.

[polskicowboy]

Can't be too safe...it does happen. I run 3 batteries in parallel but have name brand batteries. I would be scared to buy from Alibaba/Aliexpress. If I did I would use more precaution when charging.

[John Rose]

I see that you can buy battery bags that claim to confine fire. I saw this "battery travel case" (for battery and charger) on the radpowerbike.ca site and asked Support if it was intended to be fireproof. I got this reply by email:

Hi John,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at Rad Power Bikes! The battery travel case is not explosion or fireproof. 

If you have any more questions or need further assistance, our Help Center is always available and packed with useful information that may address your needs.  We encourage you to visit: https://radpowerbikes.pxf.io/eK9g91 for quick answers, how-to guides, and additional support resources.   Our goal is to ensure you have the best possible experience with your Rad Power Bike, and our Help Center is an important part of achieving that.  Thank you for choosing us, and happy cycling!

Best,
Sherrie
Rad Power Bikes Customer Support

[John Rose]

I use this timer on all of my chargers (bike, power tools, lawnmower battery) to limit the amount of time the charger is on.



It's main feature is that it's a countdown timer. Once it times out, it does not repeat the next day, which makes it very different from a regular lighting timer.

If I forget about it for a few days (or weeks), no harm done.