Are e-bike battery fires burning out of control in our cities, or are the authorities doing something about it? If the latter is the case, then we can rest easier while we wait for an update. However, if this is not the case then perhaps we should be concerned. Lithium fires are difficult to extinguish, and it seems people are dying every day. We went out to investigate.
Are There Standards in Place to Prevent E-bike Battery Fires?
Poor quality replacement batteries are at the heart of the problem of e-bike battery fires, we understand. It follows that effective control should include consumer advice, and some form of official safety certification. We found a report in The Atlantic, relayed by Auto Blog suggesting neither of those controls are in place.
Atlantic writer, Caroline Mimbs Nyce believes “For the foreseeable future … more e-bikes will explode, and more people may die”. This was after she chatted with William Wallace, associate director for safety policy at Consumer Reports who have been testing cars for over 85 years.
“That’s the simple and horrifying truth right now,” the associate director explained. “Unfortunately, when it comes to e-bikes and the like, we are stuck in a kind of battery purgatory.” Although he added most batteries are well-made. But there are some ‘very, very bad ones’ from questionable suppliers.
Are Tougher City and Federal Standards the Solution?
The Atlantic writer comes out strongly in terms of a formal approach. Nyce describes a situation where established e-bike vendors “might choose a best-in-the-business manufacturer”.
While “smaller or newer companies looking to make a quick buck may end up going with a sketchier manufacturer that isn’t producing batteries to industry safety standards”.
However, there might better control over the causes of e-bike battery fires in future. We learned that U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating lithium battery safety with particular reference to e-bikes, hoverboards, and e-scooters, and that can’t be a bad thing in these times.
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