Lime provides bicycle and scooter sharing services in a large number of American cities. The vehicles are dockless in the sense that there is no depot. It costs $1 to unlock one with an app, and thereafter 15c a minute to ride. In May 2018 the company agreed a partnership whereby Segway made its scooter batteries. Now it seems the parties are having a fall-out.
Your Scooter Batteries Are Fire Prone, Says Lime
The Washington Post reports Lime “pulled thousands of its scooters off the streets this summer. Because a small number of defective scooter batteries had the potential to catch fire.” There was a welding issue, it said, that “caused them to short circuit.”
However, Segway has a different take on the matter. It told Washington Post’s Peter Holley on 2 November 2018 this was impossible. It said faulty welding “will typically stop a battery from charging or discharging. But it’s highly unlikely to cause a battery to short circuit.” The welding in question attaches a conductor to the battery that controls electricity flow.
Check Out Our Track Record, Segway Responds
“Over the years we have sold multiple millions of Segway’s self-balancing vehicles and a million kickscooters,” they told Peter Holley. “All of which used the same battery technology without such incidents,” their spokesperson explained.
The discussion is continuing with the sparks still flying. Segway blames “improper charging and maintenance” by ‘juicer’ contractors according to Washington Post. Moreover, the external battery cases “often sustain damage from vehicles hitting the ground and colliding with objects.” Although we are not taking sides on this one, we do support Lime’s conservative approach.
Riding electric scooters can be dangerous. The user could lose control after a battery started burning. Moreover the scooter batteries are in close proximity to the rider, and could therefore cause skin burns in the unlikely event they caught fire.
Related
Kymco Ionex Scooter Beats Battery Blues
Preview Image: Lime-S Electric Scooter Near Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington
