A fire at an e-bike shop in Halifax has the fire union warning about lithium batteries.
Richard Sullivan, executive officer with the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters says they got the call around 9 a.m., Tuesday, about smoke coming from the shop on Quinpool Road.
When they arrived on scene, two e-scooters were on fire, about to spread, but members managed to put it out quickly.
Concerns about lithium batteries
The cause of the fire is still under investigation; however, nearly all e-devices are now powered by lithium batteries.
Sullivan says they are way more efficient than the old-style battery, holding a charge much longer -but there are some problems with them.
“When they become damaged, they’re made up of multiple fuel cells. When one fuel cell becomes damaged or compromised, it can ignite without any source of ignition, just through a chemical reaction,” says Sullivan.
This, he says, can cause a chain reaction, leading to a fire and this is a massive issue.
“Lithium-ion batteries can go from appearing that they’re not having any issues whatsoever, to being fully involved in this thermal runway situation,” says Sullivan.
He says, it can happen from having the wrong charger plugged into the battery, it can be a manufacturer’s defect, or from physical damage – and it can happen spontaneously.
“We’ve seen in the past where an e-bike or even an electric car will run into a telephone pole, for example, and the damage of that crushing impact on the battery cells will cause that thermal runway,” adds Sullivan.
Writing on the wall
According to Sullivan, we are “behind the times” when it comes to the number of e-bikes and scooters in Halifax compared to larger cities, and the writing is on the wall for us to have more and more.
However, fires caused by lithium batteries is a huge concern for firefighters.
Sullivan says there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of regulations but there are steps you can take to use them safely.
Buy an e-scooter or device that comes from a trusted source with a ULC sticker, use the appropriate charger, do not overcharge it and when you are done with them, recycle it.
“If you notice anything irregular about the battery, whether it’s getting abnormally warm, or you see it bulging, or any signs of smoke, or have any concerns whatsoever about it, call 911 immediately,” says Sullivan.
