There is NO EASY ANSWER….Sorry!
Bicycles are THE most efficient means of transport, but they need human ‘grunt’ – which eventually gets tired! Hence the development of the Electric Bicycle and Electric Scooter – just as efficient and no ‘grunt’! What could possibly go wrong?
Conceptually there’s nothing there to go wrong. It’s an inexpensive vehicle for one person, with a virtually silent motor, running on electricity, from an efficient battery, that can be charged from a wall socket at home. It really is a great solution.
Its all good – apart from the obvious risks of being on roads with other vehicles, and the added excitement of the possibility of falling off in front of a bus! The source of the power that is carried on the vehicle is a Lithium-ion battery. Why do we use them? Because they can be made on a large scale, they are basically affordable, and most important, because they have very high energy-density – a very ‘large amount’ of energy stored in a relatively small, lightweight package.
You can see from the image that Lithium-ion Batteries have about 5 times more energy per weight and nearly 10 times more energy per volume as a Lead Acid Battery.
These are good things if you are designing e-Bikes or e-Scooters.
NOW FOR THE BAD NEWS – Electric bikes or Scooters are getting VERY BAD PRESS.
Let’s start with the Statement by Laura Kavanagh – the New York City Fire Commissioner –
“The Leading Cause of Fires and Fire Fatalities In New York City is E-Bikes and E-Scooters”
Why IS that? …. and how do we deal with it, because there is no doubt that the two-wheelers play an important part in the mobility of the people of New York (and the rest of the world). They are beneficial, without doubt. But they are killing people, without doubt.
To make this easier to talk and write about …..for simplicity in this Post, from here on – ‘e-Scooters’ also means ‘e-Bikes’, and ‘e-Bikes’ also means ‘e-Scooters’ – and I will interchange them without prejudice!
So – how do we make them safe?
The practical solution actually seems to be within YOUR grasp – YES – YOU! – the owners of the Bikes/Scooters – (this might piss you off a bit – but stick with me) – NO-ONE is saying its your fault – least of all me ‒ but what it means is that ‒ IF there is a solution, or if there are possible methods of reducing the Hazards – by managing the Risks ‒ they are likely to be things that YOU – the OWNERS – can do.
This, simply, is EMPOWERING the owners to make themselves safer. There are many others who SHOULD be making this world safer, but in their absence, or failure, Owners can, and have to step up to the plate….. until the people who really SHOULD be responsible are brought to task…. More on this later.
There are a few principles – Cardinal Rules ‒ that effect your safety
The 1st Cardinal Rule! ………… is about WHAT YOU BUY
If you buy cheap **remember ‒ ‘Cheap is for a reason’ ‒ remember that very many of the products coming onto the markets, are made very quickly and as cheaply as possible.
If you were to take apart ***an inexpensive, imported battery you will often see that the build quality is VERY poor.
There are bad or missing connections, connectors and cables that are under-spec for accepted thickness, whole sets of cells not connected, loose connections and absence of a Battery Management System, all held together with masking tape!
** No judgements here about financial realities – you buy what you can afford. This Blog is supposed to be making money but we don’t sell anything yet ‒ so it’s become a Public Service!!! My message is non-judgemental!!
*** PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT actually take one apart, because there really is a RISK of injury.
There are the HAZARDS of Electric shock, Poisonous gases, Caustic chemicals and of course, Fire.
You can watch it being done on any number of YouTube posts – but please don’t do it yourself. OK?!
So the Message is, buy better even if you have to stretch to do it. Buy a scooter with a UL certificate… (or ‘EC’ mark or UKCA) ….which certifies that the Bike is made to a measurable Safety Standard. Just think about it. OK – don’t think about it – JUST DO IT!
Watch one of the videos
Did you see our Blog Post #6 “BADLY DESIGNED AND BADLY MADE LI-ION BATTERIES”?? If not, take a look. It’s definitely worth the 5 minutes – to get a good idea of what can hurt you…… Why not do it right now? Remember – ‘Knowledge is Power’! …..and then come back to here….
How to get a SAFE Bike – or how to make YOUR Bike safe.
Actually – you don’t HAVE to buy a new bike that is UL certified to be safe. In New York, for example, a programme is being rolled out that will invite you to trade your old battery for a new, certified one. And – even if you don’t go that route, you can get your second-hand one checked out by a number of trustworthy companies that will examine it, fix problems if possible, and then give you a UL certification for it.
Something like $5m has been set aside by the City to improve and certify all the e-bikes in New York, and it won’t be long before you will not be able to buy one (or maybe even use it in New York) unless it has been approved This comes under ‘Initiative 663-A’. In principle, I believe that over regulation can work against ‘people’, but in this case it makes excellent sense.
Remember, since 2019 there have been over 700 significant fires caused by e-bike and scooter Batteries and 29 fatalities – in New York city. It’s the leading cause of fires and fire fatalities.
But New York is not the Centre of the Universe – the problem is a Universal one, and the Solutions are the same – easier to deal with in some places than others.
The 2nd Cardinal Rule! ……. …. is about WHAT YOU DO to your SCOOTER
How you treat it – how you look after it. These all relate directly with the probability of battery failure.
OK, so you bought an e-Bike at the price you could afford. Is it possible to check the battery and see if it is OK? Of course it depends where you are, BUT if in the US, your first action may be to call Underwriters Laboratory or one of a many suppliers or test shops that could have a look at your Battery. All you guys – anywhere in the world – who are qualified or able to take a Scooter Battery to pieces safely, test it and fix it, please post in the Comments. We will send people to you… Tell us where you are, in the comments!
The Quality and Health check of your Battery is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT thing that you can do to reduce the Risk of your Battery going into Thermal Runaway….. and fire.
The second thing is to make sure that when you charge the Battery you use the Original, or an identical Charger. This does NOT mean one that just looks the same! This means one that has the same Voltage and charging rate that your Battery was designed for. Many – maybe MOST Scooter fires – occur while charging – frequently with a faulty or ‘wrong’ charger.
Overcharging, frequently because the ‘wrong’ charger is being used, is the single greatest cause of Scooter Battery Fires.
** SURELY THIS IS EASY TO FIX? **
Get a ‘GOOD’ compatible Charger – the ‘RIGHT’ Charger
But right behind a ‘Good Charger’ being a VERY important way to avoid a fire, you MUST not ‘Overcharge’ the Battery, by leaving it On-Charge all night. As soon as you get your new Scooter, find out how long it takes to charge. If you charge it at night, check it before you leave the bike unattended, or go to bed, and UNPLUG IT. Start again in the morning, when you are around to check it regularly. Many Battery Management Systems are not reliable – so don’t put your life in their hands!
SO – what have we got so far?
1 BUY an UL APPROVED Bike – or CE or BS or UKCA.
or.…..
Immediately like NOW – GO and GET your Scooter checked by an Approved Scooter Repair shop! (Sorry to bully you, but why wait?) … It’s cheaper than burning your house down?
2 Check, or get someone who knows, to check that your Charger MATCHES your Scooter Battery.
and…….
NEVER leave your Scooter on charge overnight, or unattended. That’s an EASY ONE!
and…….
STOP charging when it is close to fully charged. NEVER OVERCHARGE IT!
That leaves the last –
The 3rd Cardinal Rule! ………… is about MINIMISING YOUR PERSONAL RISK
You can start by thinking for yourself (which of course is the best way to learn) – then I will give you some clues.
A bit like THIS…..
and remember that the fire has only just started – its been burning for only 6 seconds so far…..
In 3 more seconds you will not be able to SEE the door……
and in 10 seconds after that your bedding will be on fire. Then you have about 20 seconds to call your Mum ….
and then ‘kiss-your-sorry-ass-goodbye’.
stop for a minute and let’s have a think …………
Maybe there is a better way? If you had obeyed the first two Cardinal Rules, then the Scooter is MUCH less likely to have a battery failure and go into Thermal Runaway and Fire!
BUT – you haven’t had time to go and get it checked, and Pay Day is NEXT week (it always is!!) and ….
SO what else could we do – if we have the luxury of winding the clock back and doing things a bit smarter…
What about the 1st Cardinal Rules –
Don’t charge while you are asleep ……
Don’t OVER-charge …..
Is it the ‘Original’ Charger?
So we didn’t follow ALL the ‘Rules’…. So we had a fire ….How could we have Minimised the Risk of being hurt in this Fire?
In no Particular Order –
- Don’t charge the Bike INDOORS. But – if you have no balcony on the 21st floor
- Charge it outside the Back Door, or the Front Door (the floor is probably tiles) but don’t charge it right up against the door!.
- Maybe the Management won’t let you charge outside your Apartment
- Is there a secure Bike Park downstairs in the Basement Carpark ? but there is no Power!
There also maybe a chance of it being stolen? - So if you have to charge it inside your apartment – Don’t charge it near the front door – remember if it catches fire it must be behind you when you leave – not blocking the way!
- Frequently Check the Charge and don’t let it Over Charge. Stop well before 100%.
- Don’t leave it on charge at Night. Just in case you can’t hear! …..
Don’t leave it on charge at Night - If you can’t charge it safely in your Apartment maybe you should go back to Cardinal Rule 1
Get the Scooter and Battery certified – change what needs to be changed so that you can sleep with confidence – but still – Don’t charge it near the Route you will take to evacuate your apartment if it DOES catch fire. People die beside a burning Scooter – unable to reach the Front door which is only 4 feet away.
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