Warning over battery blazes: Lithium powerpack fires hit a new high

[MCN]

The London Fire Brigade are battling an increasing number of e-bike and e-scooter fires, having faced more blazes by the beginning of September than across the whole of 2022. “We are seeing an...

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[Jagster]

This whole rush to battery powered vehicles is IMO a dangerous pursuit.
I can hear it already now in my head, politicians and so called safety experts telling the public after mass deaths due to EV fires......'we are banning all older EV's due to risks to health & safety & the environment.......lessons will be learned'.
Funny.....I don't hear any mainstream media doing much to highlight the obvious dangers of current battery chemistry. No debates in parliament to consider the possible dangers, yet these horrific incidences keep on happening.
Crazy world we live in. Just mad.

 

[Claviger]

This is a very specific issue. The cheaply made low quality charging and balance controllers being used are the cause. Sadly some of the bigger companies are using cheap as chips inferior quality controllers from China as a cost saving measure, so buying a big name electric toy doesn't guarantee quality.

In the EU CE ratings need to be enforced more strictly and in the US Consumer Protection Agency needs to gain punitive authority so they crack down on the trash tier quality many companies are selling.

One need only search Amazon for DC voltage controller to find all manner of electronic firestarters....

 

[Jagster]

This is a very specific issue. The cheaply made low quality charging and balance controllers being used are the cause. Sadly some of the bigger companies are using cheap as chips inferior quality controllers from China as a cost saving measure, so buying a big name electric toy doesn't guarantee quality.

In the EU CE ratings need to be enforced more strictly and in the US Consumer Protection Agency needs to gain punitive authority so they crack down on the trash tier quality many companies are selling.

One need only search Amazon for DC voltage controller to find all manner of electronic firestarters....

I feel sure that you are correct in your explanation for the fires highlighted in the MCN article. However, my concerns extend beyond the subject of poor quality LI batteries spontaneously combusting and dodgy chargers etc..
As I see it, the problem being stored up for the future is not necessarily what started the initial fire, but more about if there is a fire in the vicinity of large capacity lithium based batteries, such as an underground car park in a shopping mall or apartment block.
The video I posted up explains it well, I think.

 

[sleeves]

I build and run RC Boats on the lake outside our house. They are all electric and I've had a few fires but never the batteries. A couple of them pull nearly 200amp on full load. Speed controllers, cables, plugs sometimes go up never the batteries. When not in use all the batteries are charged and stored in a fireproof bag with my other batteries. Use my FLIR to monitor too.

 

[Jagster]

Time will tell if we have built a global monster in battery form.
I hope that a more inert chemistry can be found and implemented very soon......before every vehicle on our streets are battery powered.

 

[Jagster]

We are being pushed by our politicians and legislators into EV's. It's not like folk have much say in the matter, if they need to travel about and get on with their lives....and yet....I don't feel as safe I once did.......whether I have an EV or not. They are all around us and the numbers keep growing.

 

[stingray]

They can't even get them delivered.

 

[Jagster]

Coming to a street near you........(see MSN link below)

'Electric car' EXPLODES on driveway and sets fire to Merseyside family home after 'battery malfunctions​

MSN