March 12, 2024
Fatal elevator fire from modified e-motorcycle battery sparks concern
Recently, a video of an electric motorcycle battery on fire in an elevator sparked widespread concern. The video shows a man carrying an electric motorcycle battery into the elevator, then the battery caught fire in his hand.
After the incident, the man was covered in black and sent to the hospital for treatment, and was diagnosed with 90% burns of the body flame, severe inhalation injuries, acute kidney injury, and burns to the left eye, etc., and sadly passed away 26 days after the incident.
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The results of the court judgment in the above case showed that the cause of the fire was the thermal runaway of the EV’s lithium battery.
The court ordered the identification of the exploding battery as part of the illegal secondary processing of modified batteries. The seller of the battery was awarded compensation to the relatives.
In recent years, e-motorcycle battery fires in elevators have occurred many times. So, is it true that e-motorcycle batteries in the elevator will become “unstable”? Is it safe not to take the elevator?
Are elevators the only reason batteries explode?
“Why didn’t it catch fire sooner or later, the moment it entered the elevator?” Many netizens raised questions.
In fact, in recent years, there did appear a number of e-motorcycle batteries in the elevator fire accident, which led to speculation – e-motorcycle batteries in the elevator may be more likely to catch fire or even explode.
Some netizens believe that the elevator car is a metal confined space. Its operation will produce electromagnetic interference, resulting in a chemical reaction of the internal components of the battery (battery thermal management).
There is also the view that the elevator running at high speeds will lead to the internal components of the battery due to weightlessness and violent reaction, which in turn led to the explosion.
However, this is not the case.
Some professionals say that battery fire or explosion in the elevator is a chance phenomenon. Only the elevator has a camera, which can record the process and circulate on the Internet. “In real life, there have been many incidents of batteries catching fire in homes and outdoors, they just may not have been caught on camera.”
In addition, most of these types of incidents lead to more serious consequences, and the fact that the media all come to publicize and report on them at the same time creates the misconception that being in an elevator will tend to cause batteries to explode.
For the battery explosion in the elevator that will cause serious injuries or even death, professionals said, first of all, the elevator inside the space is small, equivalent to a confined space, and secondly, the battery fire burns fast, and is accompanied by sustained heat release, toxic fumes, and the elevator has no proven fire extinguishing facilities.
“In this confined space, high temperature and high heat simply can not be released through other means, and can not be quickly extinguished, it will cause very serious consequences.”
Battery fires closely linked to illegal modifications
An automotive engineer said in an interview with Consumer Reports that the current common problem of e-motorcycle fire is mainly related to short circuit motor lines and thermal runaway of the battery.
“Generally speaking, e-motorcycle products sold through regular channels on the market have product qualification certificates and consistency certificates recognized by national regulatory authorities, and fire and explosion problems generally do not occur under correct use, and a large number of fire accidents are related to illegal modifications.” The automotive engineers mentioned above.
At present, the common illegal modification behaviors on the market include the unauthorized modification of high-power motors and high-capacity custom lithium battery for vehicles in order to enhance the speed limit and range.
However, the security threat posed by an e-motorcycle fire goes far beyond the open flame itself. The automotive engineer mentioned above pointed out to Consumer Reports that e-motorcycle fires are “dangerous, difficult to save and have a large impact.”
“The battery of an e-motorcycle has a lot of chemicals inside, and if it catches fire, it will not only produce a large number of open flames, but also release a large number of toxic gases that are harmful to human beings, which is a great threat to vehicle users, surrounding people and rescue personnel.
In addition, e-motorcycle battery fire is often difficult to quickly extinguish the fire, water fire fighting role is limited, the need to use specific fire extinguishers to continue spraying the fire.”
At the same time, many e-motorcycle users also have the battery or even bring the whole e-motorcycle home, or even charge the battery all night, once a fire is more likely to cause casualties.
Causes of lithium battery explosion
- Thermal runaway leads to spontaneous combustion of lithium batteries, meaning that the battery itself is overheating, or charging in a high temperature environment leading to a natural explosion phenomenon.
- lithium battery packaging damage or trauma, lithium batteries are a layer of internal diaphragm, in the trauma or sharp objects piercing the lithium battery, the diaphragm is damaged, resulting in lithium batteries, internal short-circuit will also cause lithium batteries naturally explode.
- If the motorcycle/bike battery voltage and current exceeds the prescribed value (such as charging 20A lithium battery with a 30A charger) will lead to high temperature lithium battery, which is also very easy to cause lithium battery explosion fire.
- Lithium battery quality issues, a few factories in order to save costs and cut corners, the use of waste lead and other raw materials as a modified production of lithium batteries, such lithium batteries do not have quality assurance and brand certification, the production of batteries are also susceptible to “leakage” of this phenomenon, resulting in lithium batteries explode.
Battery fires are preceded by a variety of signs
In fact, it is possible to make a judgment in advance about an e-motorcycle fire. If an e-motorcycle has the potential to catch fire or explode, the following signs will usually appear before the fire:
| Sign | Details |
|---|---|
| Battery heat | A sustained increase in battery temperature above 65°C and continuing to rise is an important precursor to a battery fire or explosion. Battery heating can be caused by external short circuits, overcharging or physical damage. |
| Battery deformation | Apparent bulging and deformation of the battery housing or single cell, the internal surface instability of the battery has occurred to a certain extent. There is a high probability of conversion to thermal runaway and fire. |
| Electrolyte leakage | Battery electrolyte leakage to the outside through the gasket or joints, which indicates that the battery protective structure has been damaged, the possibility of internal short-circuit is higher, there is a certain safety risk. |
| Irritating odour | The batteries emit a pungent odor, which may be the decomposition of the electrolyte gas. The surface of the battery reaction has been out of control, excessive heat and combustion may occur. |
| Abnormal current and voltage | The battery monitoring system detects abnormal fluctuations in current, voltage, or internal resistance beyond the normal operating range, which indicates that the battery has experienced some internal failure and decreased safety. |
E-motorcycle users can pay close attention to the condition of their vehicles, and if any of the above signs occur, make sure to take emergency measures, stay away from the vehicles and batteries involved, and do not take the elevator with your e-motorcycle in the above case.
How to use an e-motorcycle safely and correctly?
The first person responsible for the safe and regulated use of e-motorcycles is the owner.
- Don’t buy substandard e-motorcycles and accessories. Unqualified, non-standard or over-standard e-motorcycles, batteries, wires and chargers will increase the risk of fire.
- Do not modify the vehicle without permission. Unauthorized modification of batteries, additional audio, lighting, etc., is likely to cause fire caused by line overload.
- Regulate parking in accordance with laws and regulations. Do not park electric bicycles in homes, underground garages and basements, semi-basements without implementing fire separation, guard and other precautions.
- Do not charge at home. Do not charge in crowded places and public areas such as public foyers, evacuation channels, stairwells, elevated floors, and safety exits of residential buildings, and do not take the battery home to charge.
- Do not pull another cable to charge. Do not use private wires, disorderly installation of sockets and other ways that do not meet fire technical standards and management regulations to charge electric bicycles.
- Do not charge all night. Vehicles should avoid charging for too long, charging all night and unattended. Once the battery, wires, and other problems occur, it is very easy to cause a fire.
- Strictly prevent the internal water of the vehicle battery. Once water enters the battery, it is very likely to cause a short circuit, which may lead to spontaneous combustion of the battery and other accidents.
- Do not charge near combustible materials. Electric vehicle charging should be away from flammable combustible materials built in electric bicycle parking spaces and flammable and explosive substances, to avoid fire when there is a fire.
- Do not use “out of service” batteries. Old batteries should be eliminated regularly, and do not continue to be used beyond their safe service life, or assemble old batteries for your vehicle.
In the unfortunate event of an e-motorcycle related fire, the following measures should be taken immediately:
- When conditions permit, the electrical switch should be switched off for the first time to prevent electric shock and leakage accidents.
- Use ABC dry powder fire extinguishers or water-based fire extinguishers to extinguish the fire. In the absence of fire extinguishers in the vicinity, you can also use splashing water to cool the fire.
- If the fire is urgent and difficult to control, call the police quickly.
Read more about how to charge motorcycle battery?
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Nancy
Nancy has worked hands-on with battery swap infrastructure for electric two- and three-wheelers since 2021, including deployment projects in South Asia. She regularly consults on EV fleet electrification and has contributed technical specifications to multiple swapping station manufacturers. Her market analysis is grounded in direct collaboration with importers, dealers, and RMV registration data.
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