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[kinmel]

London Fire Brigade attended 120 fires caused by Lipo type of batteries last year and 25 involving lithium batteries so far this year.

This video shows a fire that originated in the LiPo battery of an E-Scooter stored in the front room, watch the over pressure from the bedroom windows....

https://content.invisioncic.com/r275785/monthly_2022_02/e0aff130-ffaa-4813-a8c7-07de9c24a545.MP4.7e2c2aa7a1858e2fe69b56469ffed3b2.MP4

[Colin Bishop]

Wow!

Colin

[sabre]

A guy I know works with computers for a living and keeps all the used swollen batteries in a fireproof explosion proof box until disposal.
Just google swollen batteries or battery fires.   


Just think of all those decaying batteries tucked away waiting to have their day when you are out and about or fast asleep after a glass or two.


Safer to stick with nice noisy ic engines.

[JimG]

The video shows a good reason for banning or proper quality control of e-scooter batteries. When you buy cheap from China don't expect proper safety precautions in either the battery or charger.
How many Lithium batteries are used with no problems compared to the few fires which get all of the publicity. Do you store your laptops and phones outside? They have Lithium cells inside them, again very few give problems if used with a proper charger not a cheap one off of Ebay. I currently must have at least 30 LiPo packs, some of them over 10 years old and getting a bit swollen. None of them have given me any worries as I use a good charger and make sure there is no risk of them shorting out. Few realise that a lead acid battery can explode if it is accidentally shorted during or after charging yet they are happy to charge and store them in a closed garage.In the past I have had a NiCd pack blow the insides out of the cells by fast charging them for too long (I had inadvertantly soldered over the safety vents when making up the pack). When NiMh cells first came out it was shown that they could turn into a blow torch if overcharged yet no one takes any special precautions with storing them.Like most things if proper care is taken then Lithium cells are no more dangerous than any others as themany millions in use with no problems show.
Jim

[chas]

Thanks for the sensible comments Jim, I'll add one extra comment if I may. My wife has a mobility trike with a lithium battery, very good it is too. We keep it in our porch, but in a totally shaded area. When she asked why, I mentioned the effect of heat on these batteries, i.e a hot battery can store more charge, but when it cools, it could be overcharged, causing a reduced life or possible damage. Most battery makers warn about heat, but when they are in common appliances, especially e scooters, I doubt the advice is often considered. I'll bet this is a factor in some of the reported accidents.
Charles

[Fastelectrics]

One of the issues with e-scooter batteries is that they are located under the deck and so are often damaged when the scooter is kerbed. This is one reason why they have been banned from TfL services in London.