Battery Fires

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
20,764
8,443
61
West Sx RH
Before lion batteries I was running multi lipo set up's and they were far more volatile then lion.
d8veh and many others likely the same.
I was running 12 lipo packs or more in parallel and series to get the voltage and WH's I required.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: guerney

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
20,764
8,443
61
West Sx RH
The locked systems will just mean more land fill junk, us sensible guys won't bother with it.
Us sensible knowledgable ones will simply continue as we are and ignore the nanny state, we will continue building safe bikes /batteries as we have done so for the last 10 -15 years or so.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ghost1951

Ghost1951

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 2, 2024
1,122
377
The Conservatives were pretty much useless (even though I voted for them) but one thing you could usually rely on was that they avoided useless legislation of the nanny state sort. Not always, but much more so than the alternatives. We will see what comes, but I am not that optimistic.

The 'something must be done' response to some unfortunate event is stronger in the House of commons now I think.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,068
3,151
Before lion batteries I was running multi lipo set up's and they were far more volatile then lion.
d8veh and many others likely the same.
I was running 12 lipoi packs or more in parallel and series to get the voltage and WH's I required.
Great idea! I'll be shoving those packs into my newly "Brompton" branded downtube battery case. That'll throw those baying law obsessed hounds off the scent.


 

Ghost1951

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 2, 2024
1,122
377
You be careful with that Brompton branding Guerney. The Brompton CEO Will Butler Adams is a rottweiler where it comes to trademark infringement. I remember when I bought my fake Brompton (before I got the real one) from a lady on Ebay called Anita. She had a container load of these Merc aluminium lookalikes. I still have my old one in the back of a garage. Anyway, the story was that Brompton came after here and were like raging attack dogs. Butler Adams had a go at me when I wrote a post extolling the virtues of the nice cheap Merc lookalike and also the Strida that I had. He was not a happy boy that I said these Chinese copies were a bargain. Anita tried to sell me the rest of her stock cheap, (she came on the folding bike forum too) but I wisely declined. They probably had it all seized.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,068
3,151
The locked systems will just mean more land fill junk, us sensible guys won't bother with it.
Bosch don't care about poisonous deeply ungreen landfill waste, so why should this lot? They've got carte blanche to think blue sky, but I seriously doubt they'll engineer solutions good for the consumer or the planet, because such commercial entities are not under any legal obligation to. "Right to repair" is starting to gain some traction in the EU, but I don't think products such as ebikes are included.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,068
3,151
The main issue with kit /battrey fires is as we know the dodgy set ups we all see from the fast food boat riders we see riding around. 25 /30 mph with no pedalling , riding paths and constantly red lighting signals .
They just don't give a fig and if stopped will wave the discrimination flag.

Gov't don't need to legislate against batteries they need to send plod in force for a month to every fast food joint and confiscate and nick all the illegal riders, they will illegal in two ways .
1. Riding a moped unregistered &
2. Being in the country illegally and working claiming asylum or what ever when they shouldn't be.
The fast food industry needs to clean itself up big time and is overdue legislation on the riders it employs using these death traps.
That's far too expensive, they're not going to do that - rather than police laws already in place, they're going to illegalise everything but their blasted locked systems which will be near nigh impossible (or imposssible like Bosch batteries) and illegal for the user to repair. I expect "Tampering" and "Repair" will be equivalent.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,068
3,151
You guys running BBS mid motors will see more comm's restriction before hub kits.
The Chinese don't put as much effort into locking systems down as Bosch, there's always some workaround even with the newer CANbus versions, and that surely will be justication for outlawing the sale and use of relatively open systems like BBSXXX and KT?
 

Ghost1951

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 2, 2024
1,122
377
The Chinese don't put as much effort into locking systems down as Bosch, there's always some workaround even with the newer CANbus versions, and that surely will be justication for outlawing the sale and use of relatively open systems like BBSXXX and KT?
The motors are relatively simple and sturdy, so as long as the Chinese keep selling bits, we should be able to keep them running. Now that I dumped the full power throttle and am working harder on the pedals, mine has an easy life. If I can avoid water ingress, and maybe do some re-greasing now and then, my BBS01 should last as long as I do.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,068
3,151
The motors are relatively simple and sturdy, so as long as the Chinese keep selling bits, we should be able to keep them running. Now that I dumped the full power throttle and am working harder on the pedals, mine has an easy life. If I can avoid water ingress, and maybe do some re-greasing now and then, my BBS01 should last as long as I do.
Over the past three or so years I've been haunting these forums... apart from the one I killed accidentally, I haven't read of any BBS01B controller failing. They're potted, tricky access the components - a couple of years ago someone posted about how he'd managed to painstakingly chisel the stuff off his BBS02 controller using a small flat headed screwdriver, to replace something or other, think it was a MOSFET. There are of course alternative controllers (see Endless Sphere), which look highly likely about to be banned.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,068
3,151
No. DON't Cease going on about it. I REFUSE loudly to be constrained because some people are morons. I REFUSE to have sellers of complete ebikes interfering through their lobbying, to prevent me buying a cheap OPEN Chinese kit of parts to assemble my own e-bike, so they can get more of the market and become richer than they were before. It was I thought normal practice that people with a financial vested interest declare it in political discussion, so they are not able to push regulations in directions which suit them financially.
What's the point? We're powerless.


We are members of LEVA EU, Annick is the general secretary and a freind.

We have fought many battles together including trying to stop the anti dumping measures, pushing for the use of throttles and questioning whether or not the Machinery Directive is necessary.

She is anti the control of the industry by the big players, and very vocal constructing strong arguments.

If there are questions Pedelecs members would like me to put to her regarding battery safety regulation, I’d be very happy to assist.

All the best, David
If there are questions Pedelecs members would like me to put to her regarding battery safety regulation, I’d be very happy to assist.
I hope more of the old forum hands make suggestions.
 

lenny

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 3, 2023
2,237
654
  • Like
Reactions: Woosh

Ghost1951

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 2, 2024
1,122
377
271 ebike fires in the uk in 2023 and about 141,000 reported fires. A drop in the ocean, being hyped up for some reason.

That said, people need to stop doing stupid things with batteries. Of course some folks just can't get enough of regulation, especially if it might reduce the competition they face in business. So don't expect it to go away any time soon.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
20,040
16,740
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
If certification is introduced, you'll see ebike batteries be switched over to LFP. It's cheaper and safer than Lithium-ion.
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
20,764
8,443
61
West Sx RH
30kg bikes again as the norm, one reason why lion was introduced to save some weight.
 

Ghost1951

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 2, 2024
1,122
377
Unlike some of you, I have never ridden an LFP powered bike, but I am intrigued by the idea of a system that has over a thousand charge cycles in it and can't catch fire. And yes, you'll need a heavier battery but not that heavy.

I've read heard some good reports of them. Some here - years ago had bad experience, but that was a while ago I think. There was plenty of dodgy cells around in the past and not just LFP. Is it not true that if you don't have to power it only by pedals, a few extra kg won't make much difference?