‘Unexploded bombs’: call for action after 11 deaths in UK due to e-bike fires (1 Viewer)

[Coolcats]

Call for action after 11 deaths in UK due to e-bike fires

‘Unexploded bombs’: call for action after 11 deaths in UK due to e-bike fires

Dangerous batteries and conversion kits still being sold online, new safety data reveals

www.theguardian.com

 

[Tombola]

Its a shame for all those affected , but Don't go cheap use common sense manufacturer guidance and you'll be fine.

Sensationalised by the newspaper reporter.

Unexploded bomb indeed..

 

[Guigsy]

eBikes aren't inherently dangerous. Cheap and unregulated conversion kits are the problem.

Unfortunately a very large proportion of our food delivery industry totally relies on these kits. Cracking down on them will make thousands of people effectively unemployed.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Helen Ariel]

Buy a reputable brand rather than some junker from Amazon or eBay that you won’t be able to get spares for.
The home conversion kits you can get are super dodgy.

Buy cheap, buy twice with eBikes.

 

[Coolcats]

eBikes aren't inherently dangerous. Cheap and unregulated conversion kits are the problem.

Unfortunately a very large proportion of our food delivery industry totally relies on these kits. Cracking down on them will make thousands of people effectively unemployed.

Pay people next to nothing treat them as self employed and don’t give them a delivery bike. It’s no wonder it’s that sector at risk from substandard equipment.

Humans and countries do not learn from one another !

Amid a rise in fires and deaths, New York City enacts new e-bike rules

New York witnessed 219 fires related to these kinds of devices in 2022, causing 147 injuries and six deaths.

abcnews.go.com

 

[Coolcats]

Unexploded bomb indeed..

They look pretty fierce to me

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[funflair]

I have seen one of these bike batteries go up in a motorhome locker, luckily the owner just happened to be in at the time otherwise the van would have gone up for sure and a couple more next to it possibly, it wasn't even on charge it was just sat there minding it's own business, and it wasn't a cheap eBay kit.

 

[TrudeandDall]

I have seen one of these bike batteries go up in a motorhome locker, luckily the owner just happened to be in at the time otherwise the van would have gone up for sure and a couple more next to it possibly, it wasn't even on charge it was just sat there minding it's own business, and it wasn't a cheap eBay kit.

If the battery was not a cheap import, then can you please tell us what make it was? Also it may have been overcharged by a cheap replacement charger. After all when some low life nicks an ebike off the street they do not have the charger, subsequently when the bike is sold on or used it needs a replacement charger to keep it in use.... Hello Amazon eBay.........

 

[LesW]

Scare mongering at it's best..

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[funflair]

If the battery was not a cheap import, then can you please tell us what make it was? Also it may have been overcharged by a cheap replacement charger. After all when some low life nicks an ebike off the street they do not have the charger, subsequently when the bike is sold on or used it needs a replacement charger to keep it in use.... Hello Amazon eBay.........

Well of course they are all imports but this was from a UK dealer and they replaced the battery, it was 4 years ago or more now so I can't remember make and details but it was a bit of a wake up call that reinforced the need to fire spacing between vans at rallies.



Found the photo, Volt bike whether it had been mistreated in some way re charging or mechanical damage I don't know so I won't be jumping to any conclusions.

 

[pagey]

Bought our 2 from halfords 4 years ago so correct chargers for the batteries I charge them at home in the garage but if we are away I charge them in the van and sometimes as we are driving via an inverter have I been lucky

 

[Dutch 68]

eBikes aren't inherently dangerous. Cheap and unregulated conversion kits are the problem.

Unfortunately a very large proportion of our food delivery industry totally relies on these kits. Cracking down on them will make thousands of people effectively unemployed.

Our food delivery industry is problematic on multiple fronts, there are sadly people who eat take aways every day delivered to their homes , which they can not afford and run up debts, it is also extremely unhealthy , and for the people “employed” they are not, it’s modern slavery, they are treated very badly on average.
Huge numbers working in the industry are not entitled to work in the UK.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[funflair]

Bought our 2 from halfords 4 years ago so correct chargers for the batteries I charge them at home in the garage but if we are away I charge them in the van and sometimes as we are driving via an inverter have I been lucky

The chances of being unlucky are pretty slim to be fair, "do you feel lucky" ?

Just to add we have a Shimano battery and charge it in the van if I must but otherwise outside.

 

[Coolcats]

Scare mongering at it's best..

Probably not given the number of incidents lost lives and injuries. I have an e-bike it’s charged away from the house so if did go up we should be safe. I guess it’s no different to storing petrol

 

[Paul Wilkins]

That's what 'Trading Standards' are for. If you import some hunk of junk from China via FleaBay or the like, what do you expect.
Cheap doesn't necessarily mean cheerful.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[JRT]

Strange that the article was about e bikes bursting into flames but the only photo they could find was an e scooter doing it?

Lazy journalism?

 

[LesW]

Probably not given the number of incidents lost lives and injuries. I have an e-bike it’s charged away from the house so if did go up we should be safe. I guess it’s no different to storing petrol

We also have e-bikes, converted by me, bought from a reputable company (https://eclipsebikes.com/), using all fully matched motors, batteries and (fan cooled) chargers.

Never experienced any signs of overheating when charging batteries, as the article says, it's down to cheap not fit for purpose junk bought/stolen..

 

[daveandsan]

Well of course they are all imports but this was from a UK dealer and they replaced the battery, it was 4 years ago or more now so I can't remember make and details but it was a bit of a wake up call that reinforced the need to fire spacing between vans at rallies.

View attachment 873484

Found the photo, Volt bike whether it had been mistreated in some way re charging or mechanical damage I don't know so I won't be jumping to any conclusions.

I remember it well, certainly a wake up call.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[A S R]

Scare mongering at it's best..

Correct.
A few out of hundreds of thousands, and more likely cheap Chinese imported shite.

 

[Markman]

Very unfortunate for the individuals, but a much smaller figure than the 395 pedestrians killed last year, or the 740 motorists.

Reported road casualties in Great Britain, provisional estimates: year ending June 2023

www.gov.uk

 

[MR BLO]

I am an avid mountain biker. Know literally hundreds of people with proper e-bikes. These things are in the £6-14k region and use similar battery technologies to electric cars and therefore inherently safe. Of course there is a risk, there always is, but companies like Bosch and Shimano who make the motors on these high end pieces of kit will have taken the utmost due diligence to ensure that their products are safe.

But a huge number of conversion kits and even low cost commuter bikes don’t have anywhere near the same level of safety and quality control standards that the big boys have. Some brands use a Shimano motor but with a low tech 3rd party battery.

If a battery conversion kit was available for a car would it be allowed to be sold on Amazon or the like. No because of health and safety reasons.

So yes the journalism is sensationalist but I for one believe that this technology should be regulated - I.e. none of this cheap shite.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Tombola]

Headline grabbing to stay in a job.
simple
more people have died by something random falling on their head than have died by using reputable companies batteries.

heres a bomb

 

[dulvil]

Most folks are looking at cheap lithium batteries for their motorhomes,
When they see the price do they look for any form of certification? Or is safety second to price

 

[meanders]

Unexploded bomb indeed..

Hmmm. Incendiary bombs = yes, High Explosive bombs = no. Gas bombs = Arguable. Certainly would not want be in a confined space with one.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Coolcats]

Correct.
A few out of hundreds of thousands, and more likely cheap Chinese imported shite.

Most if not all are manufactured in China and the far east not all is poor

 

[Coolcats]

I am an avid mountain biker. Know literally hundreds of people with proper e-bikes. These things are in the £6-14k region and use similar battery technologies to electric cars and therefore inherently safe. Of course there is a risk, there always is, but companies like Bosch and Shimano who make the motors on these high end pieces of kit will have taken the utmost due diligence to ensure that their products are safe.

But a huge number of conversion kits and even low cost commuter bikes don’t have anywhere near the same level of safety and quality control standards that the big boys have. Some brands use a Shimano motor but with a low tech 3rd party battery.

If a battery conversion kit was available for a car would it be allowed to be sold on Amazon or the like. No because of health and safety reasons.

So yes the journalism is sensationalist but I for one believe that this technology should be regulated - I.e. none of this cheap shite.

I think most if not all of the articles refer to poor and mismatched components so not sure it’s poor journalism

 

[jumar]

To buy a replacement battery for two of our eBikes ..750w size cost 945€ each..we have been told by the company that sells our bikes that their batteries are made to order from Samsung..quite a reputable company I believe..
However eScooters sold in our local electrical outlet can cost as little as 399€. They are branded as Yo-tac-Ya-Chanz.con which I've never heard of...think its from China?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Tony50]

We have 2 Claud Butler folding electric bikes advertised on here , several years old, they were expensive to buy, regularly charged in my workshop, they were a good make, now just think under another name

 

[Adeydub]

Bought our 2 from halfords 4 years ago so correct chargers for the batteries I charge them at home in the garage but if we are away I charge them in the van and sometimes as we are driving via an inverter have I been lucky

As long as you use the correct charger and don’t leave them unattended whilst charging, you should be fine.

I think that a lot of fires are caused by the wrong type of charger. Important not to be tempted by claims of fast charging, unless it’s properly controlled, it can produce a lot of heat. Also important to check batteries for any obvious physical damage, if it looks wrong, don’t use it.

 

[Guigsy]

Cheap chargers and cheap batteries just have a fixed flow into the battery. Which is really not clever for lithium batteries.

Good setups monitor the charge flow and reduce it down when the battery is nearly full, then cut off when full. The battery should also have built in thermal protection to stop charging if they get too hot.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}