Originally Posted by
gobicycling
News tonight reporting 200 e-bike fires in New York City from the batteries, some with people riding them.
As an electrical engineer, I attribute that to a few factors.
1) After Hydrogen, Lithium is the most reactive chemical element. You have to respect it.
2) Lots of cheaply, shoddily made batteries are being imported from China.
3) People do not know proper "care and feeding" (charging and discharging) of any batteries, and battery abuse accounts for many of the failures.
4) The infamous inferno in a New York City high rise apartment was probably attributable to the resident homebrew bicycle repairman not knowing enough about electrical safety and circuits. Something as simple as frayed wiring insulation can lead to a dead short, causing a battery to overheat or even explode. (This happens with good old lead-acid, as well, which is why jumpstarting a car needs to be done with care.)
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069