options for battery transport from Norway to Spain?

[NO-emtb]

cant bring it on the flight, what are the options for transport via mail or other? will be in spain (catalonia) for a month so renting a battery will be really expensive/not possible.

 

[Rod B.]

cant bring it on the flight, what are the options for transport via mail or other? will be in spain (catalonia) for a month so renting a battery will be really expensive/not possible.

Due to their large wattage size, eBike Lithium battery shipments are considered "Dangerous goods." This is because of the potential risk of fire. Many air carriers will allow you to carry a small lithium battery, i.e. under 100 Watt hour, with you as "Take On Baggage", i.e. laptop computer battery. However IATA (International Air Transportation Association) has "Dangerous Goods" rules in place which prevents air carriers from transporting large lithium batteries on passenger flights as "Carry On" baggage.

While it's not possible to fly your battery to Spain, it is possible to ship your eBike battery to Spain via land transport. International shipping carriers such as DHL and Fed Ex have procedures in place to ship "Dangerous Goods" however, you will pay a premium price to ship your eBike battery. Logistically it's possible to ship your battery, but shipping an eBike battery has a "Pain in the Ass" factor, i.e. special packaging required, filling out declaration forms, etc. There is also always the real risk that your battery might become lost during shipping or delayed clearing customs in Spain.

Another viable option for you, would be to transport your eBike via train. I've never been to Norway (Would love to go) but I have traveled across Europe on a train. I believe it would be possible for you to take your eBike with you on a train. It would be much slower than traveling by air and you'd have to switch trains a few times between Norway and Spain, but it may possibly be a cheaper option and have less risky option than shipping your eBike battery. Keep in mind that if you fly by air, you'll still need to pay extra airfare for the bike frame itself when traveling by air. Maybe traveling by train is better/cheaper?

Here are some references I found online on Dangerous Goods Lithium battery shipments:

Air Transport:

What to Know About How to Ship Lithium Batteries?

Lithium batteries are increasing in popularity, but despite restrictions you can safely ship lithium batteries by air. Here’s what to know about how to ship lithium batteries.

www.iata.org

Land Transport:
DHL

Prohibited and counterfeit items not allowed to ship with DHL Express

mydhl.express.dhl

FED EX:

FedEx | System Down

www.fedex.com

Shipping by Train:

Take your bike by train from the UK to France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria or anywhere else in Europe...

A guide to taking your bicycle by train from London to mainland Europe, including taking a bike by Eurostar train or ferry to France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Amsterdam, Prague, even Istanbul. Covers taking your bike on Eurostar and on ferries, then on international trains...

www.seat61.com

There are also several YouTube videos which discuss shipping eBikes and eBike batteries.

Good luck,
Rod

 

[NO-emtb]

Due to their large wattage size, eBike Lithium battery shipments are considered "Dangerous goods." This is because of the potential risk of fire. Many air carriers will allow you to carry a small lithium battery, i.e. under 100 Watt hour, with you as "Take On Baggage", i.e. laptop computer battery. However IATA (International Air Transportation Association) has "Dangerous Goods" rules in place which prevents air carriers from transporting large lithium batteries on passenger flights as "Carry On" baggage.

While it's not possible to fly your battery to Spain, it is possible to ship your eBike battery to Spain via land transport. International shipping carriers such as DHL and Fed Ex have procedures in place to ship "Dangerous Goods" however, you will pay a premium price to ship your eBike battery. Logistically it's possible to ship your battery, but shipping an eBike battery has a "Pain in the Ass" factor, i.e. special packaging required, filling out declaration forms, etc. There is also always the real risk that your battery might become lost during shipping or delayed clearing customs in Spain.

Another viable option for you, would be to transport your eBike via train. I've never been to Norway (Would love to go) but I have traveled across Europe on a train. I believe it would be possible for you to take your eBike with you on a train. It would be much slower than traveling by air and you'd have to switch trains a few times between Norway and Spain, but it may possibly be a cheaper option and have less risky option than shipping your eBike battery. Keep in mind that if you fly by air, you'll still need to pay extra airfare for the bike frame itself when traveling by air. Maybe traveling by train is better/cheaper?

Here are some references I found online on Dangerous Goods Lithium battery shipments:

Air Transport:

What to Know About How to Ship Lithium Batteries?

Lithium batteries are increasing in popularity, but despite restrictions you can safely ship lithium batteries by air. Here’s what to know about how to ship lithium batteries.

www.iata.org

Land Transport:
DHL

Prohibited and counterfeit items not allowed to ship with DHL Express

mydhl.express.dhl

FED EX:

FedEx | System Down

www.fedex.com

Shipping by Train:

Take your bike by train from the UK to France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria or anywhere else in Europe...

A guide to taking your bicycle by train from London to mainland Europe, including taking a bike by Eurostar train or ferry to France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Amsterdam, Prague, even Istanbul. Covers taking your bike on Eurostar and on ferries, then on international trains...

www.seat61.com

There are also several YouTube videos which discuss shipping eBikes and eBike batteries.

Good luck,
Rod

thanks for the great overview!
transporting the battery alone without the bike seems almost impossible/too much hassle! how about bike transport companies via land? for instance: SHIPPING
train is an option but it wil cost ALOT and take ages as the train network from norway to europe is quite terrible, if i lived in say germany or Denmark it would be much more feesable
train is a last resort but should work

 

[steve_sordy]

@NO-emtb Find someone with a similar bike in your size and who lives in Catalonia and wants to visit Norway near where you live and do a bike swap. Sounds impossible, but people do it with houses. Think of it as AirBNB for ebikes! Put some effort in and this time next year you could be a billionaire!

 

[Rod B.]

thanks for the great overview!
transporting the battery alone without the bike seems almost impossible/too much hassle! how about bike transport companies via land? for instance: SHIPPING
train is an option but it wil cost ALOT and take ages as the train network from norway to europe is quite terrible, if i lived in say germany or Denmark it would be much more feesable
train is a last resort but should work

I like to travel to new places to ride in the United States. I've taken my pedal bike with me on the plane as baggage on several occasions. I have yet to travel with an eBike because it's such an absolute pain in the ass to do so. Travel/transport restrictions, whether American or European make it impossible to transport lithium eBike batteries via air. Keep in mind, you can transport your eBike via air without a battery, however your bike's battery will need to be removed from the bike and shipped separately by a shipping company via a land route.

Note: I've never considered shipping a bike via ocean transport, i.e. having it placed in a cargo container and shipping it. Maybe that's an option for Norway???

Note: While its tempting to do so, you do not want to ship your eBike via an airline or DHL/FED EX, and lie on the shipping declaration form by not mentioning the bike is an eBike, or by falsely stating the battery has been removed from the bike when in fact you didn't do it. It's very illegal, your bike will be impounded and you'll have to pay a hefty fine if you get caught. More importantly, you don't want to be responsible and have it on your consciousness that you caused a plane to crash due to a fire caused by the battery and people were killed.

All Airlines place a weight and size restriction on transporting bicycles as "Baggage". Nothing is free, the airlines will hit your wallet hard when you ship a bike via baggage. It's also important to understand that airlines place a weight limit on bikes. This weight restriction includes the weight of the shipping case the bike is packed in. Ebikes, even with the battery removed are heavy. When you factor in the weight of the bike and shipping container, you can easily exceed the airline's stated weight limit for a bike as checked baggage. Sometimes an airline will waive the weight limit however, you'll need to pay extra to ship the overweight item. Also you'll have to pay a fee to fly the bike "To" the destination and once again for the return flight back home.

Airlines also place a linear length restriction on the bike's shipping container. The length restriction is an aggregate total of the container's Length, Width, and Height. If you exceed this size limit, the airline may not transport your bike as checked baggage. If they do waive the length restriction, you'll have to pay more............"BOHICA"........Google it...

There are company's such as "Bike Flight" that will transport your eBike even if it is over sized or over weight. Bike Flight cannot transport an eBike with the battery installed on the bike or if the battery has been removed but kept in the shipping container. There are new regulations in the United States that do allow the shipping of eBikes with the battery installed however, the bike has to be shipped via a land carrier. Bike Flight offers international service for Norway and Spain. I do not know if this includes shipping an eBike with battery attached. It might be something you may wish to inquire about.

Electric Bicycle Shipping| Electric Bike Shipping | E-Bike Shipper | BIKEFLIGHTS.COM

Bikeflights.com is a bicycle shipping service. You get fast delivery, great prices and excellent service with every shipment per our Best Way Guarantee.

www.bikeflights.com

International Bicycle Shipping | International Bike Shipping | Customs | Bikeflights.com

Bikeflights.com is a bicycle shipping service. You get fast delivery, great prices and excellent service with every shipment per our Best Way Guarantee.

www.bikeflights.com

Other considerations:
1. The chance that your bike may be damaged or lost during shipping is a real consideration. You'll also need to pay a boat load of cash to get your bike to Spain and back again to Norway. Maybe renting an eBike while in Spain isn't that bad an alternative?

2. The eMTB forum is large and covers all areas of the world. Maybe put out a request to forum subscribers from Spain and see about borrowing or renting a battery from a Spain eMTB forum subscriber who lives near the area of Spain you will be visiting.

3. See if a Spain forum subscriber from the area you will be visiting would be willing to rent you an eBike for the month.

4. Locate a Spain bicycle shop in the area you will be visiting. Arrange in advance for the bike shop to order you a new battery for your eBike which you'll purchase. You pick up the battery from the bike shop and use it for the month of your trip. Upon your return home to Norway, sell the battery back to the bike shop or a local rider at a discounted rate. While a new battery is expensive, selling it at the end of your trip would offset the initial cost and would likely be less of a pain in the ass than trying to ship your bike and battery to and from Spain.

5. Check the local papers in Spain and buy a used eBike from a local rider. Sell the bike at the end of your trip.

Good luck,
Rod