Tag: e-bike fires

National Park Service Opens National Parks To Motorized Recreational Vehicles

jimmymac

The National Park Service (NPS) will issue new guidelines (you can read the pre-publication document here) that allow electric-motorized bicycles access to all trails and paths where human-powered bicycles are now allowed access. These new guidelines show that the Department of The Interior views its responsibility to maximize the use of public lands. While I strongly oppose the opening of these natural treasures to motorized recreational, I appear to be in the minority. Americans have given the Department of The Interior and the NPS a mandate to open these public…

Battery Fires Create Concerns For Every Electric Bike Owner (UPDATED)

jimmymac

Bike Europe, a publication claimed to be the “leading trade journal for the bicycle, e-bike market” recently published a courageous story on the dangers of Lithium-Ion batteries used in the majority of electric bikes (e-bikes). The publication had a fire safety engineer and battery safety professional examine the aftermath of a fire ignited by an unattended charging battery in a bicycle shop (video footage of the shop fire has been removed). His observations are frightening. The expert is quoted as saying that Lithium-Ion batteries are, “rather unreliable, rather explosive. You…

E-Bike Battery Explosion Kills 60-Year-Old Rider

jimmymac

The United Kingdom’s Shropshire Star is reporting that 60-year-old Christabel Timmins suffered 55-percent burns and died of multiple organ failure after a charging e-bike battery exploded and caught fire to Timmins’ motorhome. The tragic story can be read by clicking here. I have posted a number of tips to reduce the risks when charging your e-bike’s battery.  After reading the specifics of this tragedy, I’ve add one more tip…Don’t charge an e-bike battery in a confined space like a motorhome, RV, boat, automobile, van or shed. Here are all my…

Modified E-Bike’s Fiery Explosion A Warning

jimmymac

An E-bike with a modified battery ignited into flames that were quickly contained because of the fire’s close proximity to an extinguisher. Reports were not clear if the bike was privately owned or used by a food-delivery service. The Straits Times reports that the fire took place in Singapore where, unlike in the United States, there are strict laws on e-bike modifications (that obviously didn’t deter this owner from making modifications) and there are a much larger number of E-bikes in operation than in the States. As E-bike use expands…

Why Communities Can’t Trust Micromobility Rental Businesses

jimmymac

Spokane’s KREM2 reports that a Lime charging facility caught fire in Spokane Valley on October 7th. The report explains that the fire’s cause was unknown, but a Spokane Valley Fire Department spokesperson believed it was likely an electrical problem. Anyone with the most basic understanding of battery charging (and the dangers associated with battery charging) would immediately pick up on two glaring red flags in the KREM2 report. First, the report says that “no one was in the warehouse at the time” of the fire. Rule one for avoiding a…

Dutch Insurers And Firefighters Worry About Increase Of E-bike Fires

jimmymac

The Dutch, already ranked first in the world for per-capita-bicycle ridership, have adopted electric-motorized bicycles in record numbers. It is reported that e-bike sales have already surpassed the sales of human-powered bicycles (excluding children and racing bikes) in the Netherlands. With this increase in e-bike usage comes a not-so-surprising increase in fires linked to e-bike battery charging disasters. The NL Times is reporting that Dutch fire agencies and insurers are troubled by the increase in fires caused by battery charging. The article reports that e-bike fires in 2017 surpassed fires…

The Interior Secretary Wants To Sell More E-Bikes, But At What Cost?

jimmymac

The one-page document from Interior Secretary David Bernhardt (Order Number 3376) did far more than redefine non-motorized recreation. The Order revealed a seismic shift in how the Department of The Interior views its responsibility in overseeing public lands. Conservation and stewardship are replaced with a new mandate to exploit public lands to the fullest. And maybe that’s what the majority of Americans want? The Interior Secretary also showed a lack of understanding by adopting the language crafted by the e-bike industry, whose objective is to sell more e-bikes. Trying to…

Promising Research May Lead To Reduction Of E-Bike Fires

jimmymac

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Engineering are reporting that graphene (bonded carbon atoms in a sheet form one-atom thick) may take the oxygen out of lithium battery fires. The report explains that the reasons lithium batteries catch fire include rapid cycling or charging and discharging, and high temperatures in the battery. These conditions can cause the cathode inside the battery — which in the case of most lithium batteries is a lithium-containing oxide, usually lithium cobalt oxide — to decompose and release oxygen. If the…

Lyft E-Bikes Pulled From San Francisco Bike Share Program After Two Fires

jimmymac

The San Francisco Examiner is reporting that Lyft has suspended its e-bike share program on the streets of San Francisco after two e-bikes caught fire in separate locations in the span of a week. Jonathan Baxter, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Fire Department, said the department classified the incident as a “battery pack issue” and a “fire from battery pack.” The fire was deemed not suspicious by the San Francisco Fire Department although a Lyft spokesperson has told media outlets that vandalism has not been ruled out (by Lyft)…

Another “Rare” Fire Destroys All MotoE Series Race Bikes

jimmymac

The UK’s Independent is reporting that all the bikes and equipment for MotoGP’s electric support series, MotoE, were destroyed in a paddock building fire at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain. This comes just a few weeks before the start of the 2019 series. All the bikes in the spec-class are provided by Italy’s Energica. It is difficult to imagine a scenario where 18 bikes could be safely made race-ready in time for the series’ beginning. It is also unimaginable that MotoE series management would allow this equipment to be…