Anonymous wrote:College dorms prohibit them. I certainly wouldn’t let it in my house.

That's surprising. But good for them on actually recognizing a threat to safety for once.

College dorms prohibit them. I certainly wouldn’t let it in my house.

Anonymous wrote:Do you store gas cans in your house?

Not a good idea to do so, but still way less dangerous than batteries.

Do you store gas cans in your house?

What! I am not product shilling! I just thought it was useful to know about these Bat-Safe boxes bc I initially was considering a battery bag - but then apparently these are pretty useless. I didn’t see a similar fireproof box product, though apparently many people use ammo boxes? And perhaps there are other similar products but I did not find them. Do you know of any?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi. OP here. I am officially obsessed (yes I have anxiety issues! - but legitimately so!) with the fire hazard risk of eBike batteries. I went ahead and bought at Bat-Safe XL (https://www.bat-safe.com/ebike-battery-safety). Very happy with this purchase and feel it will prevent catastrophic fire. However, gases can still escape so will keep it in small room, with door, with smoke alarm and window when using. Will keep eBikes in shed overnight as long as possible (when not too cold). Can warm up the battery in the Bat-Safe inside and then when warmed up, charge outside. Am planning to get rid of these cheap bikes and get an eBike with a Bosch battery - these seem to be the safest. Once I get a Bosch battery + the Bat-Safe, I will feel significantly better.

I think eventually houses and apartments will have eBike rooms next to their garages with chargers, basic heat, & good ventilation. Also, I think the DMV should also adopt the laws they now have in NYC that require eBikes/eScooters to be UL certified. I think Amazon can't even deliver the cheap, non-UL certified bikes there anymore.

This sounds very suspiciously like advertising and product shilling.

Anonymous wrote:Hi. OP here. I am officially obsessed (yes I have anxiety issues! - but legitimately so!) with the fire hazard risk of eBike batteries. I went ahead and bought at Bat-Safe XL (https://www.bat-safe.com/ebike-battery-safety). Very happy with this purchase and feel it will prevent catastrophic fire. However, gases can still escape so will keep it in small room, with door, with smoke alarm and window when using. Will keep eBikes in shed overnight as long as possible (when not too cold). Can warm up the battery in the Bat-Safe inside and then when warmed up, charge outside. Am planning to get rid of these cheap bikes and get an eBike with a Bosch battery - these seem to be the safest. Once I get a Bosch battery + the Bat-Safe, I will feel significantly better.

I think eventually houses and apartments will have eBike rooms next to their garages with chargers, basic heat, & good ventilation. Also, I think the DMV should also adopt the laws they now have in NYC that require eBikes/eScooters to be UL certified. I think Amazon can't even deliver the cheap, non-UL certified bikes there anymore.

This sounds very suspiciously like advertising and product shilling.

Hi. OP here. I am officially obsessed (yes I have anxiety issues! - but legitimately so!) with the fire hazard risk of eBike batteries. I went ahead and bought at Bat-Safe XL (https://www.bat-safe.com/ebike-battery-safety). Very happy with this purchase and feel it will prevent catastrophic fire. However, gases can still escape so will keep it in small room, with door, with smoke alarm and window when using. Will keep eBikes in shed overnight as long as possible (when not too cold). Can warm up the battery in the Bat-Safe inside and then when warmed up, charge outside. Am planning to get rid of these cheap bikes and get an eBike with a Bosch battery - these seem to be the safest. Once I get a Bosch battery + the Bat-Safe, I will feel significantly better.

I think eventually houses and apartments will have eBike rooms next to their garages with chargers, basic heat, & good ventilation. Also, I think the DMV should also adopt the laws they now have in NYC that require eBikes/eScooters to be UL certified. I think Amazon can't even deliver the cheap, non-UL certified bikes there anymore.

Anonymous wrote:My son (college age) just got a cheap eBike from Amazon, which I initially thought was a great idea - not knowing anything about eBikes. But now I was reading about the fire hazard from eBike Lithium batteries and am totally stressing out. We do not have a garage and it will be too cold soon to keep the battery and bike outside. That leaves inside. I live in a split level so not sure if there is any safe spot to charge it and store it. Have considered buying a BatSafe box or just getting rid of the eBike altogether. Am I over-reacting? Do others store their eBikes in their house? The battery is not UL certified but is Samsung.

Put it in a metal box on a non-flammable floor surface, or you could put it in a BBQ grill type thing or on top of a few "fire bricks".

Fire bricks are not expensive really, and you could make a little spot for it with them to surround it when charging and sitting.

You’re both right to be wary of LIoN batteries. I would NEVER charge an ebike/e-scooter inside any structure I cared about. I’d even be uneasy storing one inside.

The energy density of those batteries is so high and they are so sensitive to damage or thermal shock or moisture or charging current fluctuations, that any little thing could cause them to go into thermal runaway.


In the years ahead insurance actuarial tables will catch up to this and there will be a whole bunch of new rules for using and storing and charging these things.


But you are definitely right to be concerned.

I'm very concerned about this too. 2 major house fires in my neighborhood recently where the houses were completely demolished. Not sure they were ebike batteries though.

Everything is a lithion ion battery now.

Tell him to not leave it plugged in to charge. The batteries are most stable at 50-70% charge.

If it's causing you so much distress, just get a batsafe bag ($20 on amazon).

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) first published UL 2272, a standard for the certification of electrical systems found in personal electric micromobility devices, in 2016. Then, in 2020, UL published a standard specific to e-bikes, UL 2849.

Additionally, the 2024 edition of NFPA 1, Fire Code, includes requirements for charging more than five micromobility devices indoors or within 10 feet of a building. According to these requirements, micromobility devices, their batteries, and their charging equipment must be listed by a qualified testing laboratory; users must follow manufacturer instructions; extension cords or power strips cannot be used to charge devices; and charging cannot take place within 10 feet of combustible materials or in any area blocking an exit. Learn more at nfpa.org/1.

If you keep the bike, check often for physical damage to the battery. Don't use a charger other than the one supplied with the bike, don't charge it using an extension cord, don't let the bike charge unattended or overnight, and be alert to the battery swelling, leaking, or smelling oddly.

My son (college age) just got a cheap eBike from Amazon, which I initially thought was a great idea - not knowing anything about eBikes. But now I was reading about the fire hazard from eBike Lithium batteries and am totally stressing out. We do not have a garage and it will be too cold soon to keep the battery and bike outside. That leaves inside. I live in a split level so not sure if there is any safe spot to charge it and store it. Have considered buying a BatSafe box or just getting rid of the eBike altogether. Am I over-reacting? Do others store their eBikes in their house? The battery is not UL certified but is Samsung.