I’d like to know if those comments are true, about not leaving Lithium ion batteries charging too long. There are four things that will cause a lithium ion battery to go Thermo-nuclear:
- Shorting them.
- Trying to charge them after the voltage has dropped below a certain level.
- Overcharging them.
- Exposing them to air (punctures).
Due to this, all lithium ion batteries require a battery management system. Leaving them plugged in should just cause the battery manager to stop charging them until they need charging again.
Comments? I’m guessing some of these fires are caused by poorly implemented BMS systems.
I can tell you that it’s illegal in China to park e-bikes inside anymore after entire buildings went up in flames because everyone piled their e-bikes next to each other and when one caught on fire they all caught on fire.
When you walk into most Chinese apartment buildings, there’s a flyer or placard with a picture of a apartment building on fire and a public notice not to bring your ebike or ebike battery inside under penalty of prosecution.
I would also wager that the lacking BMS has quite a bit to do with it.
In the RC car world, I’ve heard of people having their workshop go into flames from batteries that were simply in storage… not charging or anything.
I keep mine (RC car batteries) in a special, fireproof box when they are not in use, and also charge them in that box (as it’s designed to be).
Not an easy way to do with this larger, e-bike batteries, especially when those batteries are built into the frame of the vehicle (some e-bikes and pretty much all e-scooters).
I guess anything is possible, but you are right that most of the time, there is a reason.
Realistically, the EV/e-bike industries will destroy themselves if they can’t come up with safer battery tech that won’t kill your entire family.
At some point, everyone will have multiple e-vehicles in their home, office, or parked in an underground/above ground parking garage.
If something isn’t done fast, these cases of fires will be so common that people will accept them as “normal”.
Thanks for the reply. My wife and I have ebikes with the batteries built into the frame. I love mine but now I’m concerned about charging them. I usually do it overnight in the garage. When I build projects I use NiMh batteries. Almost as good, cheaper and safer.
I would live to see this tech take off… https://spectrum.ieee.org/flow-battery-2666672335
Were these yet more no-name crap from Amazon/eBay/AliExpress, or were they actually UL-certified ones from a company with an American presence/accountability to US laws?
Wow. I could just picture a pile of ebikes so catching fire. I’ve seen pictures of bike racks in China. I can only imagine the bicyclier horror.
