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Post Info TOPIC: Electric scooters -- gel and lithium battery fires
dorian


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Electric scooters -- gel and lithium battery fires
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As fuel shortages wreak havoc in Cuba, Havana's young people turn to electric scooters:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-22/electric-scooters-havana-cuba-fuel-shortage/101260164

The island nation has seen an influx of "motorinas", as the electric scooters are dubbed, in recent years, with 300,000 of them circulating nationwide.

However, as the electric motorcycles change Cuba's urban landscape they also create challenges.

The batteries tend to catch fire and their relative silence, coupled with driver inexperience, has caused traffic accidents.

The latest Fire Department figures indicated in the first half of 2020 there were 263 fires from motorcycles with gel or lithium batteries.

It was in stark contrast to 2019, when there were 208 fires in the entire year.

 



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Whenarewethere


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I suppose it's a bit like the Samsung washing machine fires, there were a few hundred fires and some houses completely destroyed.

A bit more effort in electrical design will solve most of the electrical issues.



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TimTim


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Before we scare too many people that have installed lithium batteries in their cars and vans etc. perhaps we need to clarify that the batteries that are used in the scooters are lithium-ion batteries.  The same battery chemistry that is used in such things are power banks, computers, phones and many other battery operated devices.

Fortunately, the quality control in most of our devices means there is minimal risk but remember Samsung did push the limits for battery specifications and there were fire issues with their Samsung Note 7.  There were also issues with the scooters when they were first imported from China and cheap power banks.

The lithium batteries that I and many others have installed in our caravans and motorhomes etc are lithium-ion phosphate batteries (LifePO4) which are a different chemistry and do not catch fire like those in the scooters. smile 

Mind you, there are ways to make them catch fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07BS6QY3wI8

Which reminds me, my sister and her family are currently in Cuba so I hope they didnt hire scooters no.

 



-- Edited by TimTim on Monday 8th of August 2022 07:17:49 AM

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Cisco kid


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Is there a place for the idea:
Never go to sleep with lithium batteries on charge inside your house ?

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