That may seem like an odd question, as if we were asking whether batteries should be safe or not. Only an anarchist (or a sociopath) would argue against safe batteries. The question is, what constitutes safe? How far does the e-bike industry need to go to ensure that e-bikes are safe to use?
The issue driving this debate is fire, fires caused by poorly made batteries. E-bike batteries are made up of a bunch of cells that look an awful lot like AA batteries. Whether a battery has a 500Wh capacity or a 720Wh charge is determined by the number of cells in the battery—more cells equals higher capacity.
The problem most often is that one cell in a battery begins to break down—often a membrane that separates the cathode (positive end) and anode (negative end) from each other will begin to corrode. When the cathode and anode come in contact with each other a chemical reaction begins which generates dangerous amounts of heat. Soon, the reaction spreads to other cells and once that happens a phenomenon called “thermal runaway” begins and those fires are very difficult to extinguish—even by the fire department. Very often the fires can’t be extinguished until the fire has exhausted all the fuel in the form of battery cells.
The debate over e-bike battery certification
The issue gripping the industry isn’t whether or not to require batteries be certified by labs accredited by Underwriters Laboratories—everyone seems to agree that’s a good idea and a minimum standard to require. The debate is whether the battery alone should be UL-certified or if the entire electric system in an e-bike—battery, motor, controller, wiring and display—should be subject to UL certification.
Currently, manufacturers are encouraged to get their electronics certified, but they aren’t required to do so. Companies like Bosch that do seek UL-certification do so voluntarily.
The rules in question come from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). While they decide what standards products must conform to, they are essentially toothless where enforcement is concerned. At issue are two UL regulations, UL 2271—which would only require certification of batteries—and UL 2849—which would require certification for all of the electronics in the e-bike.
So why would anyone argue against UL 2849, the more stringent requirement? For those arguing for UL 2849, the issue is framed as a simple matter of safety, that every piece of electronics in an e-bike should be certified safe. For those pushing for UL 2271, the issue is one of freedom for manufacturers to choose the components that will give their e-bikes the ride they want their buyers to have.
Each time a manufacturer paired a Bafang motor with a different supplier’s battery, that entire system would have to be tested, creating a bigger expense for those companies looking to customize the ride of their e-bikes beyond what an entire system from Bosch, Shimano or Bafang can accommodate. The result would be that those e-bikes with hand-picked electronics would be noticeably more expensive than those from companies using a full system from one manufacturer.
Suppliers opposed to UL 2849 say that it comes with an additional downside. Aftermarket batteries, refurbished batteries and those batteries on e-bikes that don’t conform to Class 1, 2 or 3 regulations would not be captured, but they would be with UL 2271. They point out that aftermarket and refurbished batteries can be blamed for the majority of e-bike fires. They think the industry should adopt the standard that is most likely to capture the most problematic products—the low-hanging fruit, so to speak.
Each time a system goes through the testing process for certification, the cost is $25,000. Should a single component, such as a wiring harness, need to be substituted due to a supply chain issue (an ongoing challenge even three years into the pandemic), the entire system would need to go through the certification process again, should the industry adopt UL 2849. With UL 2271, manufacturers can quickly substitute a display or other component should their supplier run short.
The line at the bottom
So back to our original question: Should e-bikes get UL-certified batteries? The answer is yes and will never not be yes. A UL-certified battery carries an assurance that a product is safe in normal use.
From our position as members of the media, we’ve seen how people react to stories of fires caused by e-bike batteries that experienced thermal runaway. And many times when we’ve reported about fires in e-mobility devices, the battery that caused the fire fell into one of a few different groups: aftermarket batteries, refurbished batteries or batteries on devices like hoverboards that did not have UL certification.
As for us here at Best Electric Bikes – UL 2271 is the standard most likely to increase consumer safety. We hope all e-bikes sold in the US will meet this standard.
And we hope this part goes without saying, but aftermarket batteries and refurbed batteries? Just no. Replace a battery with one supplied by the original manufacturer.
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