2.1 Safety Precautions:
We recommend keeping the following immediately accessible
where you charge your battery:
-Class D Fire Extinguisher: can be used in the event of a
lithium fire
-ABC Fire Extinguisher: If you cannot get a Class D, this will
do the job by preventing other materials around the ruptured
battery from catching on fire.
If your charger typically takes 4 hours to charge your battery,
but it seems to be taking much longer than usual, unplug the
battery and investigate. If there is a burnt smell, it is a failed
BMS or wiring issue which you should stop charging
immediately. Do not leave your battery unattended on the
charger.
If, for whatever reason, your bike suddenly has a loss of power
and you are not getting the same performance, STOP
IMMEDIATELY. Turn the bike off and inspect your battery
system. Smell for a burnt smell and inspect there are no melted
or shorted wires. This would be indicative of a shorted or failed
BMS which you will need to contact us directly to take care of.
If you notice that your battery system has a strange smell,
looks damaged, or is leaking, contact us immediately and we
will walk you through the appropriate steps to take in this
instance.
2.2 Catastrophic Failure
Although extremely rare, all lithium batteries are capable of
catastrophic failure if mishandled or treated. The following are
guidelines for a battery pack failure. Great caution needs to be
exercised during a catastrophic battery failure.
As soon as a problem is detected (battery is hissing, you
smell a burning smell, it is billowing smoke etc), take
battery system or bike outside immediately, away from all
structures and people, preferably on concrete (like a
driveway). Observe the battery pack from a safe distance to
see if it is a pertinent problem that needs to be addressed
immediately. Monitor the battery pack until the cells drop
below critical temperature and start to cool off. Contact local
authorities if necessary!
2.3 Battery Safety (In Depth)
Main reasons a battery pack will fail:
-Short-circuit
-Charging
-Forced over-discharge
-Excessive heat or incineration
-Crush, puncture, or disassembly
While we have designed our cells and batteries to be tolerant of
adverse conditions, these very active chemical systems have
limitations. Certain hazards are associated with exposure to heat
and its subsequent effects on sealed cells. These hazards
include the potential for cell venting, explosion, and/or fires.
The initial source of heat can be external (welding, soldering,
etc.) or internal such as heating caused by short circuiting,
excessive running currents for prolonged periods of time,
forced over-discharge, charging, or excessive mechanical
abuse. Specifically, mechanical abuse in the form of excessive
shock or vibration can result in case deformation, crushing, and
damage to the electrode materials.
Not guarding against these conditions may result in a hot cell or
a battery pack that could vent or explode.
