Charging fire safety e bikes

Electrically assisted bikes, trikes, etc. that are legal in the UK
Airsporter1st
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by Airsporter1st »

Anyone compared the numbers of people seriously injured/killed in car crashes vs those in lithium battery fires?

I can’t help thinking there’s a degree of mass hysteria at work here.

I have had countless lithium battery powered devices over the years, as have all my friends and relatives and I am not aware of a single incident among them. Most families have one or two cars, driven a limited number of miles each day, whereas they will likely be into double figures of lithium-powered devices, being used 24/7.
mattheus
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by mattheus »

Airsporter1st wrote: 20 May 2023, 1:37pm Anyone compared the numbers of people seriously injured/killed in car crashes vs those in lithium battery fires?

I can’t help thinking there’s a degree of mass hysteria at work here.
I think you've just highlighted how normalised car-crash deaths have become in our lives :(
Airsporter1st
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by Airsporter1st »

mattheus wrote: 23 May 2023, 9:17am
Airsporter1st wrote: 20 May 2023, 1:37pm Anyone compared the numbers of people seriously injured/killed in car crashes vs those in lithium battery fires?

I can’t help thinking there’s a degree of mass hysteria at work here.
I think you've just highlighted how normalised car-crash deaths have become in our lives :(
That was not my intention. I was merely endeavouring to put the risks of/from lithium battery fires into some sort of perspective.
mattheus
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by mattheus »

Airsporter1st wrote: 24 May 2023, 11:30pm
mattheus wrote: 23 May 2023, 9:17am
Airsporter1st wrote: 20 May 2023, 1:37pm Anyone compared the numbers of people seriously injured/killed in car crashes vs those in lithium battery fires?

I can’t help thinking there’s a degree of mass hysteria at work here.
I think you've just highlighted how normalised car-crash deaths have become in our lives :(
That was not my intention. I was merely endeavouring to put the risks of/from lithium battery fires into some sort of perspective.
So do you think the numbers of people seriously injured/killed in car crashes is pretty much OK at the moment?
Jdsk
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by Jdsk »

Airsporter1st wrote: 20 May 2023, 1:37pm Anyone compared the numbers of people seriously injured/killed in car crashes vs those in lithium battery fires?
...
I don't know of any decent data on the number of lithium battery fires.

Jonathan
re_cycler
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by re_cycler »

Jdsk wrote: 25 May 2023, 11:41am
Airsporter1st wrote: 20 May 2023, 1:37pm Anyone compared the numbers of people seriously injured/killed in car crashes vs those in lithium battery fires?
...
I don't know of any decent data on the number of lithium battery fires.

Jonathan
The only research in the UK appears to be at Newcastle University.
https://www.faraday.ac.uk/success-stori ... batteries/

The paper from the research among other areas looks at the risk over the life cycle of the cell.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... via%3Dihub
UpWrong
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by UpWrong »

Jdsk wrote: 25 May 2023, 11:41am
Airsporter1st wrote: 20 May 2023, 1:37pm Anyone compared the numbers of people seriously injured/killed in car crashes vs those in lithium battery fires?
...
I don't know of any decent data on the number of lithium battery fires.

Jonathan
Every large company fire officer and every council recycling centre warns of the dangers and will have tales to tell of lithium battery fires. Be very scared of your electric toothbrush :shock:
Airsporter1st
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by Airsporter1st »

mattheus wrote: 25 May 2023, 8:13am
Airsporter1st wrote: 24 May 2023, 11:30pm
mattheus wrote: 23 May 2023, 9:17am
I think you've just highlighted how normalised car-crash deaths have become in our lives :(
That was not my intention. I was merely endeavouring to put the risks of/from lithium battery fires into some sort of perspective.
So do you think the numbers of people seriously injured/killed in car crashes is pretty much OK at the moment?
Of course not - and perhaps therefore our time could be better spent debating that subject rather than exaggerating the risk of injury/death posed by lithium battery-powered devices.
Airsporter1st
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by Airsporter1st »

Jdsk wrote: 25 May 2023, 11:41am
Airsporter1st wrote: 20 May 2023, 1:37pm Anyone compared the numbers of people seriously injured/killed in car crashes vs those in lithium battery fires?
...
I don't know of any decent data on the number of lithium battery fires.

Jonathan
Me neither, but I do know that there are far more lithium batteries in constant use than there are motor vehicles in intermittent use.
mattheus
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by mattheus »

Airsporter1st wrote: 26 May 2023, 10:41am
mattheus wrote: 25 May 2023, 8:13am
Airsporter1st wrote: 24 May 2023, 11:30pm
That was not my intention. I was merely endeavouring to put the risks of/from lithium battery fires into some sort of perspective.
So do you think the numbers of people seriously injured/killed in car crashes is pretty much OK at the moment?
Of course not - and perhaps therefore our time could be better spent debating that subject rather than exaggerating the risk of injury/death posed by lithium battery-powered devices.
Luckily this forum (like many others) supports multiple threads. These can be on different topics (although in practice duplicates are not uncommon ... )
i.e. we can discuss both!
mattheus
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by mattheus »

Incidentally, put your hand up if:
- you've been to A&E due to impact by motor vehicle,
AND
- you've been evacuated from a building due to Lithium battery fire.

Just curious ...
rjb
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by rjb »

Give it a few more years and the press will be highlighting the number of Lithium battery cars which catch fire, explode or evaporate in a puff of smoke. Ebikes and scooters are just the tip of an iceberg.
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway X2, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
Tangled Metal
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by Tangled Metal »

Isn't it only a certain construction of lithium batteries? The difference means escooters are banned but ebikes are not on trains. If so you have to take out the devices using the safer lithium batteries making what's left with a higher fire rate.

No idea of any figures but as always mixing data can confuse the narrative.
mattheus
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by mattheus »

Tangled Metal wrote: 26 May 2023, 12:26pm Isn't it only a certain construction of lithium batteries? The difference means escooters are banned but ebikes are not on trains. If so you have to take out the devices using the safer lithium batteries making what's left with a higher fire rate.

No idea of any figures but as always mixing data can confuse the narrative.
No, I THINK that's because escooters are generally not legal on the public highway, so GWR feel happier to ban them. eBikes that conform to regs etc etc are just as legal as bio-bikes.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Increasing risk of fire and danger to lives

Post by Tangled Metal »

mattheus wrote: 26 May 2023, 12:30pm
Tangled Metal wrote: 26 May 2023, 12:26pm Isn't it only a certain construction of lithium batteries? The difference means escooters are banned but ebikes are not on trains. If so you have to take out the devices using the safer lithium batteries making what's left with a higher fire rate.

No idea of any figures but as always mixing data can confuse the narrative.
No, I THINK that's because escooters are generally not legal on the public highway, so GWR feel happier to ban them. eBikes that conform to regs etc etc are just as legal as bio-bikes.
The local route and franchise have notices at stations stating escooters and hoverboards are banned for fire risk reasons. Before this came into effect they were very happy to let them on. So much that they let them onto busy trains when they wouldn't let normal bikes on and all but the smallest folding bikes on. The ban was because of fire risk from the type of batteries in escooters and hoverboards.
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