Ebike explodes

[fourstardan]

These are happening an awful lot now but this video was scary as fk how quickly it erupted.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c623938dq6no

Does anyone know why these batteries blow up? can they not regulate once reaching full state?

[valiant]

One of those conversion kits that’s probably some Temu special and is only as safe as the skills of whomever installed it.

These things are simply fires waiting to happen.

Either buy a proper e-bike or don’t bother at all.

[Robertb]

Good grief. House fires terrify me more than practically anything.

Imagine if that was in an apartment block.

Import of these Alibaba/temu specials should be banned.

[Mortarboard]

fourstardan said:

These are happening an awful lot now but this video was scary as fk how quickly it erupted.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c623938dq6no

Does anyone know why these batteries blow up? can they not regulate once reaching full state?

NMC lithium batteries don't last forever, and cheap ones degrade even quicker.

Make energy go in or out of them too fast, and you can get thermal runaway. Once lithium goes on fire, it's really tough to put out.

See also:
UPS systems

M.

[CloudStuff]

Mortarboard said:

fourstardan said:

These are happening an awful lot now but this video was scary as fk how quickly it erupted.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c623938dq6no

Does anyone know why these batteries blow up? can they not regulate once reaching full state?

NMC lithium batteries don't last forever, and cheap ones degrade even quicker.

Make energy go in or out of them too fast, and you can get thermal runaway. Once lithium goes on fire, it's really tough to put out.

See also:
UPS systems

M.

Hmm, reminds me. I've been meaning to do a thorough battery purge throughout the house. So many old phones, laptops etc tucked away. Xmas holidays the perfect time.

[fourstardan]

CloudStuff said:

Hmm, reminds me. I've been meaning to do a thorough battery purge throughout the house. So many old phones, laptops etc tucked away. Xmas holidays the perfect time.

Whats the probability of old devices and batteries lying around combusting???

[Johnnybee]

fourstardan said:

Whats the probability of old devices and batteries lying around combusting???

I had an old iphone that I wasn't using do a good impression of a puffer fish.

[CloudStuff]

fourstardan said:

CloudStuff said:

Hmm, reminds me. I've been meaning to do a thorough battery purge throughout the house. So many old phones, laptops etc tucked away. Xmas holidays the perfect time.

Whats the probability of old devices and batteries lying around combusting???

I have quite a few old batteries around the house. Zero benefit to them remaining there, higher than zero change of harm.

Edited by CloudStuff on Friday 20th December 22:19

[AlexC1981]

I dropped off a puffy laptop battery at Currys for recycling a few weeks ago. I didn't want it in the house too long.

Whilst there, I asked about their cash for trash offer as I have an old printer to dispose of, and they gave me a £5 voucher for the battery

[IanH755]

Lithium-Ion batteries (Li-Ion) make up the vast majority of modern rechargeable batteries and they can get into a state called "Thermal Runaway" where due to damage (either internal or external) they self ignite and, whilst doing so, create their own oxygen to make them self sustaining as well as self igniting.

There's a whole heap of far more technically accurate videos etc out there so thats just a very quick and dirty description. Its also not fully accurate TBH, more of a quick layman's version.

Here's a good, short video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v83Pt1QE-6M

[CoolHands]

Unfortunately for many people that live in flats you’re at the mercy of idiot neighbours that buy cheap st and charge it with even cheaper stty chargers. Nothing you can do.

[Brainpox]

That's a serious eye opener. The couple in the loft flat that escaped onto the roof did well

[DeejRC]

Work in a battery engineering company and get a call that a TRP (Thermal Reference Point) is seeing 130C...and its your job to run towards it and sort stuff out.

You become very aware very quickly that you are working in a live bomb factory.
Makes life interesting.

[cheesejunkie]

DeejRC said:

Work in a battery engineering company and get a call that a TRP (Thermal Reference Point) is seeing 130C...and its your job to run towards it and sort stuff out.

You become very aware very quickly that you are working in a live bomb factory.
Makes life interesting.

Fair play to you. My work on power engineering is years ago. I find working in software much more relaxing than worrying about extreme this will kill you currents.

I agree with valiant that there are too many dodgy botch jobs about. E bikes are safe if done properly. Dave down the pub sorting you with one that can hit whatever mph is not the best approach to buying one.

[Jamescrs]

I remember this being a thing when "hover boards" were all the rage a few years ago and people were buying cheap ones which were exploding whilst on charge, likely the same technology

[Alex Z]

Robertb said:

Good grief. House fires terrify me more than practically anything.

Imagine if that was in an apartment block.

Import of these Alibaba/temu specials should be banned.

I doubt they comply with any standards, so are probably already illegal to sell (or legal to import but not use on public roads).

I certainly wouldn’t want one anywhere near my house.

[Badda]

DeejRC said:

Work in a battery engineering company and get a call that a TRP (Thermal Reference Point) is seeing 130C...and its your job to run towards it and sort stuff out.

You become very aware very quickly that you are working in a live bomb factory.
Makes life interesting.

You write as if there’s no fire suppression system in place.

[Huzzah]

We hear of disposable tapes igniting waste recycling centres.

These must be pretty low energy and depleted by this stage so how does this happen?

[RichFN2]

In our industry we are seeing more Lithium-Ion batteries replacing lead acid batteries, these are around 300kg so if they were to catch fire the consequences could be catastrophic.

Due to thermal runaway temperatures reaching 700◦c -1000◦c extremely quickly these need to be stored in a separate laction from our workshop, completely isolated from all other equipment. The understanding is that the fire brigade will be unable to put out a fire on these industrial Lithium-Ion batteries. In America more electric car fires involve the fire brigade putting the car into a metal container and allowing it to run out of energy naturally.

[Cotty]

Its not surprising that these things are banned on the underground. Could you imagine what this would do to a carriage filled with people.