E-bike battery explodes, burns out NYC store

[luna87824]

E-bike battery explodes, burns out NYC store: video

A newly released video by the FDNY shows the moment an e-bike lithium-ion battery catches fire and explodes, causing a two-alarm fire to burn out a store in Queens.

news.yahoo.com

 

[RebornRider]

For the first 3 years or so with my Levo, I would connect the charger after a ride and leave it plugged in until the next ride. Then news stories like this one became more common. Now I check every night to be sure the bike is disconnected.

 

[Sophie777]

New York state, I believe, now requires UL certification for all e-bike batteries.
That would mean that a UL battery blew up - so maybe UL certification does not have as much meaning as we think (or had hoped)?

 

[Stihldog]

I wonder if the manufacturer of that battery will start a recall?
#dontholdyourbreath

 

[wenna]

It says e-bike store but the store is full of mopeds and phones, not an e-bike to be seen.

 

[RustyIron]

New York state, I believe, now requires UL certification for all e-bike batteries.
That would mean that a UL battery blew up - so maybe UL certification does not have as much meaning as we think (or had hoped)?

I'll bet you a beer that was not a UL approved battery and charger.

 

[irie]

New York state, I believe, now requires UL certification for all e-bike batteries.
That would mean that a UL battery blew up - so maybe UL certification does not have as much meaning as we think (or had hoped)?

Does everyone in New York State comply with the law? Don't. Think. So.

Loads of dodgy people selling loads of dodgy stuff everywhere in the world.

 

[Doomanic]

Shonky Chinese electric mopeds. Not what we would consider eBikes.

 

[Stihldog]

We’ve all seen the video’s of hover-boards to electric vehicles bursting into flames. I’ve also seen petroleum fueled vehicles burst into flames.

Manufacturers of these products can be heavily regulated or subjected to changes if their product poses a risk. Nothing new here. However a few can slip through the cracks for numerous reasons.

Here’s another thread with a few good suggestions for lithium ion batteries.

Spontaneous E-Bike Fire on Toronto subway (New Year's Eve 2023)

Spontaneous e-bike fire on Toronto TTC (subway). Very scary. I store my Trek Powerfly battery inside my apartment over the winter. Could anyone possibly discern from the photo the brand of the e-bike? Hope it is not one of the major brands. Video of the fire: e-bike catches fire in the TTC...

www.emtbforums.com

There are some steps we can take to mitigate the risk …but we’ll probably never eliminate those risks. So many variables at play here.

 

[Mikerb]

The battery is on charge in that video and clearly overheats.....you can see smoke before it explodes. There are no cycles in that store so the battery is presumably for one of those scooters.

 

[steve_sordy]

This sort of ill-informed publicity is bad for us. We know it is wrong, but "Joe public" does not. Slowly and surely, it is building up in the minds of the public at large that e-bike batteries are dangerous. One small step further and it will be e-bikes themselves.

OK, who cares about what Joe public thinks? Well, we should because Joe public also contains the people that decide what your insurance premium is going to be (house and bike), people that decide upon access to where you want to go, people that decide whether "e-bikes" (ie scooters, cheap imports, mismatched chargers etc) get banned outright.

OK, mature and sensible discussion should win out in the end (even in Parliament) in an ideal world. But you will have seen the press in a feeding frenzy, will have seen the coverage that the media gives to sensational stories. Popular legislation can be enacted very quickly. (Banning of guns in the UK, banning of certain breeds of dogs, the clearing of hundreds of post masters convicted of fraud...)

PS: I happen to agree with that last one, but it shows how easily things can be enacted when there is widespread popular demand.

What to do? Speak to the ill-informed members of Joe public and inform them. I don't mean get on your soap box and speak to the masses, just chat to individuals when the opportunity arises.

 

[irie]

What to do?

Put in place legislation that requires that all batteries imported into the UK pass standards regulations.

 

[Stihldog]

This sort of ill-informed publicity is bad for us. We know it is wrong, but "Joe public" does not. Slowly and surely, it is building up in the minds of the public at large that e-bike batteries are dangerous. One small step further and it will be e-bikes themselves.

OK, who cares about what Joe public thinks? Well, we should because Joe public also contains the people that decide what your insurance premium is going to be (house and bike), people that decide upon access to where you want to go, people that decide whether "e-bikes" (ie scooters, cheap imports, mismatched chargers etc) get banned outright.

OK, mature and sensible discussion should win out in the end (even in Parliament) in an ideal world. But you will have seen the press in a feeding frenzy, will have seen the coverage that the media gives to sensational stories. Popular legislation can be enacted very quickly. (Banning of guns in the UK, banning of certain breeds of dogs, the clearing of hundreds of post masters convicted of fraud...)

PS: I happen to agree with that last one, but it shows how easily things can be enacted when there is widespread popular demand.

What to do? Speak to the ill-informed members of Joe public and inform them. I don't mean get on your soap box and speak to the masses, just chat to individuals when the opportunity arises.

It can be a slow process but we can’t let misinformation slip into the wrong hands.

4-5 years ago a high end LBS for mountain biking opened its doors for the first time. I was the first customer …and I had an eMTB. It took a few visits but eventually they understood the benefits of eMTB’s. They don’t sell eMTB’s (yet) but I, and several others, went to them for our upgrade-fix.

The users of our trails need a little educating also. I don’t want to be the ambassador to this sport …but we kind of are.

 

[Tooks]

Yahoo and Fox News, a flammable combination in itself!

More food for the people who’ve already made their minds up, and another opportunity to bash ‘renewable energy’.

They’re not going to change their minds so I don’t even try, save my energy and avoid the pointless stress.

 

[Amber Valley Guy]

In the Telegraph (UK) today London Fire Brigade say 40pc increase in home fires started by e-bike conversion kits / e-scooters. Dig deeper into the article and overcharging/charging with the wrong charger are the main culprits (and obviously faulty batteries).
Just think about those e-scooters, ridden off kerbs, over pot holes, thrown down on the ground and generally abused, then left on charge all night. Is it any wonder the batteries/BMS and/or internal connectors go bad and it's not like they have descent batteries to start with...same with most (not all) e-bike conversions kits.

 

[RustyMTB]

Can't say I've ever looked into safety standards/regulations but I'd think you'd probably be able to stem self immolating bikes if you stopped people buying cheap garbage off Ali Express.

 

[Mikerb]

....and today an electric bus in London caught fire!!

 

[Amber Valley Guy]

....and today an electric bus in London caught fire!!

Lol, just wait until used EV's are the only option for millions of car users. Does our super intelligent governments think cash strapped drivers will a) install high cost home chargers and the associated upgraded wiring or b) use domestic plugs and extension leads?
Coming within the next decade every street having a toxic fire on a weekly basis 'to help save the planet'.

 

[2WheelsNot4]

It says e-bike store but the store is full of mopeds and phones, not an e-bike to be seen.

You can see the battery in question is pretty big - indicating a moped or E-motorbike battery, and from the wire leading to it it suggests its been left in to charge overnight and therefor unsupervised.

E-bike, seems to be a generalized term used by the media to play a divisive story to their readership.

 

[LeftItLancs]

Totally agree, it's clickbait to generate views. Millions of ebikes and billions of smartphones and all with lithium batteries have been sold globally. Arguably, vapes etc are far more of a fire hazard due to less strident manufacturing rules and regulation. These are rare events in context, and I could be wrong, but I have never heard of any major recalls for faulty batteries from major ebike manufacturers.

 

[Stihldog]

E-bike, seems to be a generalized term used by the media to play a divisive story to their readership.

My wife and I may have witnessed this for ourselves.

Each year we vacation in the Okanagan Valley and use our Trek HT Powerfly’s to visit the wineries and the off road trail network. Over the years our friends(6) noticed that we would ride each day for 2-4 hours and return within great stories and adventures.

Last year 4 of them decided to purchase e-bikes and all the extras needed. Both of us offered to help in their purchases since we have a bit of experience. To our surprise they went ahead and purchased 4 e-bikes and the extra stuff. They also shared that their purchases were less than half the cost of our bikes. My wife and I said nothing, mostly because we didn’t understand their reasoning.

I don’t recognize these 70lb, hub-drive, 26” wheel, throttle/peddle e-bikes. But what a great deal they got. …oh! And the helmets they have look like large condoms with wide chin straps. Ok…fine.

We only rode with them once, to TickleBerries, for ice cream, on the paved roads.

 

[Expidia]

For the first 3 years or so with my Levo, I would connect the charger after a ride and leave it plugged in until the next ride. Then news stories like this one became more common. Now I check every night to be sure the bike is disconnected.

Just put it on a timer. They are cheap!

 

[RickBullotta]

I'd venture a guess that this was not a major brand eMTB, but instead some cheap Chinese thing with two wheels.

 

[Stihldog]

I'd venture a guess that this was not a major brand eMTB, but instead some cheap Chinese thing with two wheels.

They weren’t major brands. I don’t think I recognized any component brand on the bikes either.

I understand that their use is likely as a commuter. But major brands generally make good commuter ebikes. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

 

[Mikerb]

Lol, just wait until used EV's are the only option for millions of car users. Does our super intelligent governments think cash strapped drivers will a) install high cost home chargers and the associated upgraded wiring or b) use domestic plugs and extension leads?
Coming within the next decade every street having a toxic fire on a weekly basis 'to help save the planet'.

.....and new reports say there have been at least 2 previous London electric bus fires...both whilst in the bus depot garages. You can bet these are fast charged rpeatedly to 100% and discharged to near zero on a daily basis......just like we are advised NOT to do.

 

[irie]

Thin end of the wedge.

In a year or two's time the shit will really hit it when for example the current crop of EV's batteries will require replacing, but technology will have moved on and no backwards compatible batteries will be available ...

 

[Tooks]

Is this now the general ignorance thread for all things electric propulsion?!

An EV battery will no more need replacing than an engine in an ICE car before the rest of the vehicle is trash.

Come on guys, we’re better than this.

 

[Tooks]

Coming within the next decade every street having a toxic fire on a weekly basis 'to help save the planet'.

As opposed to billions of gallons of fuel set on fire every day in engines to help save what…?

 

[RebornRider]

Time to unwatch this thread!

 

[Tooks]

For the first 3 years or so with my Levo, I would connect the charger after a ride and leave it plugged in until the next ride. Then news stories like this one became more common. Now I check every night to be sure the bike is disconnected.

I used to leave my work laptop plugged in all the time as well, for years I did that, until one day the charger brick started smouldering and melted all over the place under my desk.

I know failures like that are rare, especially from a large US based manufacturer, but it does make you think, quite correctly.