E-bike likely cause of Cambridge fire that killed mother and children
Gemma Germeney, 31, Lilly Peden, eight, and Oliver Peden, four, died in the flat fire.
www.bbc.co.uk
3 dead in fire
- Thread starter StuartsProjects
- Start date
Looks like once again a tradegy caused by a battery left unattended on charge over night.
I wonder if there will be anything revealed about the type/make of bike, or indeed if it was actually a scooter?
My own bikes are in a downstairs room which is under my bedroom. However I only ever charge when I'm around to keep an eye on them.
I wonder if there will be anything revealed about the type/make of bike, or indeed if it was actually a scooter?
My own bikes are in a downstairs room which is under my bedroom. However I only ever charge when I'm around to keep an eye on them.
More needless deaths, if it's the geezer's bike that is currently in critical condition if I was him I wouldn't want to wake up.
And more lazy BBC reporting, they should just get ChatGPT to write these articles, they would be more factually correct.
'E-bike likely cause of Cambridge fire that killed mother and children' - nuts, never seen a bike go on fire of it's own accord...how is this possible with a lump of metal?
What the title should say is:
'E-bike Battery likely cause of Cambridge fire that killed mother and children'.
And more lazy BBC reporting, they should just get ChatGPT to write these articles, they would be more factually correct.
'E-bike likely cause of Cambridge fire that killed mother and children' - nuts, never seen a bike go on fire of it's own accord...how is this possible with a lump of metal?
What the title should say is:
'E-bike Battery likely cause of Cambridge fire that killed mother and children'.
I hope your window opens wide enough for you to escape in worst case scenario.
I take no chances and store batteries in shed and try to charge outside if possible.
Some ebikes have non removable batteries. It is easy to imagine how bike like that can catch a fire.
I have an extender battery that I will only charge outside. The balance resistors get too hot as it approaches switch off point for the charger. This is with an as supplied together battery and charger. The charge current is simply too high (2A) for the supplied BMS to be able to cope with. I only really found this out when I followed the logic of someone on here saying to leave it on when the red light comes on to give it more of a chance to balance. Cue some melting of the outer wrapper and one very hot battery pack, fortunately I had a compressed air supply to cool it initially followed by standing in front of a fan. Now I know I probably could trim the voltage a little in the charger but as this is bought as a consumer product is it reasonable to expect me to do so, I don't think so.
On the other hand my Yamaha battery and charger (4A) can be left as long as you like with only minor warming up (I won't call it heating) regardless of how long you leave it.
Ebikes and scooters will be plagued with this sort of problem as long as this situation exists, I am sure my battery would catch fire if it was asked to deal with a 4A charger.
On the other hand my Yamaha battery and charger (4A) can be left as long as you like with only minor warming up (I won't call it heating) regardless of how long you leave it.
Ebikes and scooters will be plagued with this sort of problem as long as this situation exists, I am sure my battery would catch fire if it was asked to deal with a 4A charger.
If your battery is on the verge of meltdown at only 2A, it sounds like something is wrong and it needs checking.
Even chargers bought from reputable suppliers can be out of range on voltage. I would check this on a calibrated voltmeter. I check all chargers I get these days just to be sure.
But it's not the bike that catches fire as that's not possible...it's the battery, if their headlines were more accurate then they might educate readers that it's the battery that is the killer and where care must be taken, they are missing an opportunity to reinforce that message...every time with lazy journalism.
I have a calibrated voltmeter and know how to use it, I don't know the exact spec of the BMS to be able to 'tune' the charger, I am aware of the problems. I am also an Engineer (albeit Mechanical) with electrical qualifications too, I have worked in industry in charge of maintenance technicians many of whom are qualified electricians. Would I expect any of them to be aware of this issue if they bought an Ebike, no I wouldn't. The general public need protecting from this sort of problem.
The point is they should not need checking, how many owners would check? 1% maybe if you are lucky. 2A did get my battery uncomfortably warm, maybe the voltage is a touch high and the high cells (maybe all of them) have started bleeding so the resistors are getting too hot. As I said this is a battery I bought with charger (German not Chinese) and the cells are genuine so if this technology can get too hot no wonder there are problems. I would like to know how many of these Ebike fires are with Bosch, Yamaha etc.
Last edited:
You are right, you shouldn't have to, but in my experience you have to if you want peace of mind. If your pack is doing something suspect, I'd investigate it further before something bad happens.
Agreed. For a very long time now I am under impression BBC and other media were taken over by 10 years old children or A(low)I.
Nothing is going to happen with my pack, it is about 4 years since it got warm. I now am aware of the problem and can deal with it but I shouldn't have to.
If more detail is wanted, what exactly caused the fire etc, the people to contact would appear to be the 'Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service'.
To quote the BBC article;
"Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze started accidentally and, following an investigation, it was thought the most probable cause was an electric bike that was charging"
To quote the BBC article;
"Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze started accidentally and, following an investigation, it was thought the most probable cause was an electric bike that was charging"
Probable cause, not proven...jumping to conclusions? All too easy to blame an e-bike when there is a fire?
Quite possibly, but the 'Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service' seem to have come to that conclusion.
Which is what the BBC reported.
Unless the BBC had specific third party verifiable evidence that it was actually an eBike type battery fire, then clearly they would not say that.
Related Articles
-
MTF Enterprises announces acquisition of EMU Electric Bikes- Started by: Pedelecs
-
Wisper 806T folding bike wins Which? ‘Best Buy’- Started by: Pedelecs
-
Sustrans calls for protected cycle lanes- Started by: Pedelecs
-
Amazon launch their first UK e-cargo micromobility hub- Started by: Pedelecs
