Exploding e-bikes caused significantly more fires in New York City this year

[Daniel Sims]

In brief: Electronic bicycles have grown in popularity as emissions-free alternatives to mopeds and motorcycles, but charging them can be dangerous. The last two years have seen a dramatic rise in fires and injuries from exploding e-bike batteries in New York City.

The New York City Fire Department reports that as of last week, it has investigated significantly more fires caused by e-bike batteries than in all of 2021. City authorities have proposed multiple solutions, including regulations and partial bans.

Electric bike batteries have caused a suspected 174 fires in NYC in 2022. That's an average of about four per week. By the end of the year, that number may hit double last year's total of 104 and quadruple the 44 reported in 2020. Battery-related fires in 2022 have already injured 93 and killed six New Yorkers, compared to last year's 79 injuries and deaths.

The problem lies between the bikes' lithium-ion batteries and their chargers, which aren't universally inter-compatible. If a rider uses a charger with the wrong power level, it may overheat the battery after it's fully charged, risking a fire. Flammable material can also leak out of the cells and ignite.

Furthermore, users often opt for refurbished batteries that pose a higher risk. Many e-bike riders are couriers and delivery workers for whom new batteries are prohibitively expensive. Firefighters also find it challenging to identify which batteries and chargers are unsafe because fires usually leave them destroyed beyond recognition.

Lithium-ion batteries store a large amount of energy and can pose a threat if not treated properly. Be #FDNYSmart when using any devices powered by lithium-ion batteries. See more tips at https://t.co/3ibx2fA9c4 pic.twitter.com/hyvb5jyN6C

— FDNY (@FDNY) November 1, 2022

Another danger is that batteries, especially refurbished ones, can take hours to charge. Users can't keep watch through the entire process and may leave them plugged in overnight. Some restaurants might store the e-bikes on-premises, but freelance Door Dash or Uber Eats couriers have little choice but to pack them into dense apartments.

One new proposal will try to prohibit used power packs altogether, while another would require more stringent national testing standards for batteries. The New York City Housing Authority tried banning e-bikes and batteries from thousands of buildings earlier this year. However, it failed after intense resistance from delivery workers and officials.

Earlier this month, New York mayor Eric Adams announced a $1 million program to provide hubs for freelance delivery workers, which include charging stations. Still, it's unclear if they will allow overnight charging.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/96520-exploding-e-bikes-cause-significantly-more-fires-new.html

 

[yRaz]

Ebikes are great, I've used all types and the most dangerous part is the user. It isn't hard to switch out a motor controller and "overclock" your bike, but the batteries can't handle it. I'm not saying mixed matched chargers and batteries aren't an issue, but this is the first I'm hearing of it and I've done a few ebike builds.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

There were 500 murders in NYC last year, I think that's a bigger issue than these eBike fires.

 

[yRaz]

There were 500 murders in NYC last year, I think that's a bigger issue than these eBike fires.

Never let a good crisis goto waste

 

[Bullwinkle M]

Never let a good crisis goto waste

It's called changing the subject

Who is holding Amazon to account for selling only safe batteries?

Not Congress OBVIOUSLY!!!!!!!!

 

[yRaz]

It's called changing the subject

Who is holding Amazon to account for selling only safe batteries?

Not Congress OBVIOUSLY!!!!!!!!

If you knew the ebike community like I did then you'd know that modifying ebikes and over discharging battery packs is WAY too common. That battery very well might be safe within the limits it was designed for, but I see some really dumb things in the ebike community and the only fires I've seen have been from people who constantly over discharge(more correctly, asking more amps out of it than it wants to give). It might be fine for a hundred cycles but that constant abuse will blow up the battery.

Amazon may very well be selling a perfectly safe product to be used within a certain spec and many people modify their bikes well outside of safe specs.
What is your solution to the problem?

 

[Bullwinkle M]

Amazon may very well be selling a perfectly safe product to be used within a certain spec and many people modify their bikes well outside of safe specs.
What is your solution to the problem?

Or,......they may not

Sell only safe batteries for a specific use case scenario

Don't leave it up to end users who have no clue as to what they are doing

If you sell me a battery for a specific bike on Amazon and my house burns down because I bought it.......

Then Amazon should pay for my new house + additional expenses required to revamp the industry and sale of pure garbage

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Or,......they may not

Sell only safe batteries for a specific use case scenario

Don't leave it up to end users who have no clue as to what they are doing

If you sell me a battery for a specific bike on Amazon and my house burns down because I bought it.......

Then Amazon should pay for my new house + additional expenses required to revamp the industry and sale of pure garbage

You then have to prove that you did not modify the bike or battery in any way first. Amazon shouldnt have to pay for you being an *****.

You change out the controller and overextend the battery, its on you. If people mod their bikes and they catch fire, that is not the fault of the battery or the bike. You cant ***** proof the world.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

E-bikes are NOT emissions-free. The emissions are just elsewhere in the system. It's amazing how many people fall for this "green" fakery.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

It's called changing the subject

Who is holding Amazon to account for selling only safe batteries?

Not Congress OBVIOUSLY!!!!!!!!

It's not Congress' job to protect people from everything!

Federal law is already 80,000+ pages long! Plus more for state and local laws!

 

[torchyear]

There’s nothing inherently dangerous about the batteries. There are already millions of lithium batteries sitting dormant in high rises in the form of laptops and phones. It’s the quality and resilience of the ancillary circuits attached to it on an ebike, a device that is subject to incredibly high amounts of sustained vibration and adverse weather. It only takes a small short circuit in a cracked or water damaged BMS/speed sensor/controller harness to trigger a rapid discharge. Anecdotally, the risk can only go up with some of the sketchy DIY conversion kits (which is what a lot of the market’s bottom end is derived from - pun intended).

Hopefully more granularity in future fire reports of product type & brand will emerge.

 

[WhoCaresAnymore]

I don't hear about fuel powered bikes (motorcycles) exploding, nor do cars. I'll stick to my ICE for quite a while.

 

[WhoCaresAnymore]

There’s nothing inherently dangerous about the batteries. There are already millions of lithium batteries sitting dormant in high rises in the form of laptops and phones. It’s the quality and resilience of the ancillary circuits attached to it on an ebike, a device that is subject to incredibly high amounts of sustained vibration and adverse weather. It only takes a small short circuit in a cracked or water damaged BMS/speed sensor/controller harness to trigger a rapid discharge. Anecdotally, the risk can only go up with some of the sketchy DIY conversion kits (which is what a lot of the market’s bottom end is derived from - pun intended).

Hopefully more granularity in future fire reports of product type & brand will emerge.

Say what? Nothing inherently dangerous? What is inside all of these batteries? All of them are eventually hitting landfills. There is absolutely nothing green about a "battery".

 

[mbk34]

Another issue with the more powerful battery packs, that have parallel groups of batteries, is that they need balancing. This is usually done by a BMS (Battery Management System) but users get very little info if their battery pack is faulty or needs balancing. Unbalanced packs or packs containing a failed battery can easily overheat and burn. It wouldn't be so bad if these packs could be easily put out but water has no effect on the fire. I have an EUC (an electric unicycle) and I'll admit it's a worry to me. Lithium batteries can be dangerous if mismanaged but they are currently the best batteries out there. Problem is, because these bikes/scooters/EUCs are made in China, there's no real effort made to improve safety or even make users aware that their batteries need attention.

 

[yRaz]

Another issue with the more powerful battery packs, that have parallel groups of batteries, is that they need balancing. This is usually done by a BMS (Battery Management System) but users get very little info if their battery pack is faulty or needs balancing. Unbalanced packs or packs containing a failed battery can easily overheat and burn. It wouldn't be so bad if these packs could be easily put out but water has no effect on the fire. I have an EUC (an electric unicycle) and I'll admit it's a worry to me. Lithium batteries can be dangerous if mismanaged but they are currently the best batteries out there. Problem is, because these bikes/scooters/EUCs are made in China, there's no real effort made to improve safety or even make users aware that their batteries need attention.

All of the packs I've worked have had BMS systems, the problem is that people pull 40 amps put of 30 amp cells and all it takes is one to not be able to handle it to set them all off

 

[BadThad]

It's not Congress' job to protect people from everything!

Federal law is already 80,000+ pages long! Plus more for state and local laws!

In the current culture of ignorance, the dummies of the world demand big government meet all the needs for protection from themselves. They would gladly give up freedom so government can save them! PITYFUL!

 

[torchyear]

There is absolutely nothing green about a "battery".

If you open them up you will find they are green

 

[Vanderlinde]

Ebikes are great, I've used all types and the most dangerous part is the user. It isn't hard to switch out a motor controller and "overclock" your bike, but the batteries can't handle it. I'm not saying mixed matched chargers and batteries aren't an issue, but this is the first I'm hearing of it and I've done a few ebike builds.

You have no idea what this is about. It's thermal runaway and it is in particular with the use of Lion Ion battery's. It mostly happens when charging. There are no safety measures in cheap devides or cheap battery's or chargers and they just continue to charge till the thing catches on fire.

I mean stick a screwdriver through a li-ion battery and watch the flames pour out of it.

 

[yRaz]

You have no idea what this is about. It's thermal runaway and it is in particular with the use of Lion Ion battery's. It mostly happens when charging. There are no safety measures in cheap devides or cheap battery's or chargers and they just continue to charge till the thing catches on fire.

I mean stick a screwdriver through a li-ion battery and watch the flames pour out of it.

People aren't charging these things in the streets where they're catching fire, but you're right, I have no idea what I'm talking about when I say that users are over discharging batteries. Totally a charging problem, my bad.

 

[WhoCaresAnymore]

If you open them up you will find they are green

Just No. LOL

 

[WhoCaresAnymore]

People aren't charging these things in the streets where they're catching fire, but you're right, I have no idea what I'm talking about when I say that users are over discharging batteries. Totally a charging problem, my bad.

I finally get to have some fun here. Apple regulates the charge to preserve battery life. I think Apple probably has the fewest charging problems % wise than anything in the world.

 

[Vanderlinde]

Its by cheap vendors and the security build into these things is very minimal. Because of that the chances of a thermal runaway (because that is what causes a fire) are significant and utterly dangerous setting either a garage, house or storage room on fire.