Have an e-bike or e-scooter? Here's how to avoid a dangerous battery fire
CBC
People's misuse of the batteries powering the city's e-bikes, e-scooters, and hoverboards have resulted in an increase in dangerous fires such that Toronto Fire is offering advice on how to keep yourself safe.
Lithium ion batteries are rechargeable batteries that pack enough energy to power small electric vehicles.
And while they're generally safe, if you mistreat or misuse lithium ion batteries they can overheat, go into "thermal runaway," and catch fire — "a very quick and violent failure," Toronto's deputy fire chief Larry Cocco told CBC Radio's Metro Morning.
"I don't want to get the alarm that they're all unsafe," he said. "It gives you a lot of energy in a small package. But with that benefit comes the increased risk when they fail."
Toronto Fire is on a safety spree after the number of lithium ion battery fires jumped 75 per cent this year from last year. In 2022, there were 29 while there have already been 51 in 2023 so far.
CBC Toronto spoke to several fire safety experts about safety tips for using the batteries to power e-scooters and e-bikes. Here's what they said.
The Office of the Fire Marshall has also noticed an increase in lithium ion battery fires provincewide. Deputy Fire Marshall Nancy Macdonald-Duncan says they're currently in the process of gathering data.
"There's definitely an increase in purchasing, and an increase in use, and unfortunately an increase in misuse," she said.
Macdonald-Duncan says there are different types of misuse. In some cases, she says too many people are using unauthorized batteries or chargers. In others, they're charging their batteries for too long so they end up overheating, or they're using a damaged battery.
Don't do that, she says.
"If you drop your battery or it's been punctured, crushed, or has water damage — you should no longer use it."
Cocco recommends ensuring your battery has been approved by the Underwriters Laboratories Of Canada. The ULC, or UL, for short is an independent organization that conducts product safety testing, certification, and inspection.
Another arising issue is people modifying the battery to try to get their e-scooters or e-bikes to go even faster, said Dean MacNeil, a battery scientist at the National Research Council Canada.
"That's just a basic thing," said MacNeil, who is also an adjunct professor at the Université de Montréal.
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