So what are the correct safety standards?Īccording to Bosch, considered the industry gold standard of electric bike motor and battery systems, and found on many of the best electric bikes and best electric-cargo bikes: "Rechargeable batteries must generally satisfy the requirements of EN50604-1 and UN-T 38.3 if they are to be transported commercially. "We are predominantly seeing fires which have been purchased from online marketplaces and batteries sourced on the internet which may not meet the correct safety standards," says LBF's Pugsley. However, it appears that many of the reported fires have been caused by products that didn't come from trustworthy and known brands. So all lithium-ion batteries need to be treated with respect. (Image credit: Future) How do you make sure batteries are safe? To get around this safety issue most expensive batteries have safety vents built into the case as a pressure releasing mechanism. "The result of this can be very unpredictable - it can be a rapid explosion, or a slow smouldering with occasional flare-ups. "Any of these situations could lead to what’s known as 'thermal runaway' where the organic electrolyte within the battery is vaporised and pressure starts to build up within the battery casing. "When these types of batteries explode, it's mainly due to the flow of the ions becoming abnormal or unstable and this can be caused by multiple of things, for example damaged cells, contaminants within the battery due to poor manufacturing as well as overheating, with overcharging the usual factor here. "The batteries are essentially made up of rechargeable cells with interposed lithium compound or electrolyte between the anode and the cathode, with the electrolyte allowing electrons or ions to flow from electrode/anode to the other cathode. "Lithium-ion batteries are a good option for e-bikes because they can store a lot of energy within a small space with an energy density of up to 100 times higher than other battery alternatives," says Oscar Moyo BEng Msc MINCOSE MIET, lead systems engineer at TT Electronics. ![]() Over the years, there have been a number of reports of fires caused by faulty phone batteries and chargers, so does that mean they're dangerous? The answer is, in the majority of cases, no. As well as in e-bikes you'll find them in everyday electronic devices such as cameras and, of course, smartphones. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are extremely common. See more Are lithium-ion batteries really hazardous?
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