YetVille
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Update: Danneau and a certain former fireman point out, in the comments, that the bigger issue is the proliferation of lithium-ion batteries in everything...Only buy and use reputable stuff, including the chargers, and follow manufacturer's instructions.
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First there was this, yesterday, from the Vancouver Fire Dept:
The stories in the popular (pixel) prints, as they should, started appearing soon thereafter.
The following is from Lisa Stacey's piece for CTV News:
Now, that is terrible and extremely tragic for all concerned.
...Capt. Matthew Trudeau said the number of fires caused by these batteries has jumped 500 per cent since 2016. Lithium ion batteries are used to power electronic scooters and bikes but also laptops and cellphones...
Now, that is terrible and extremely tragic for all concerned.
But given the absolute numbers (i.e. going from one to five) you might think that it is just some sort of weird quirk/transient jump this year that is not statistically meaningful and will soon return to normal, lower levels.
Except there is this, also from Ms. Stacey's story:
...(Chief Karen) Fry also estimated that crews are called to a blaze caused by one of these batteries "every couple of days."...Wow!
That really is a lot of calls to fires caused by batteries in a year.
So.
What to do?
The VFD Chief recommends the following, according to Simon Little's piece for Global News:
Which means that, like everyone else, my brother the former fireman and his wife included, better be charging their E-bikes (which they are on constantly, everywhere) outside whenever possible.
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Personally, so far I've resisted the siren's call of the E-boost (see photo at top of post) because I know it will be all downhill for me once I make the choice...Having said that, I'm pretty sure the local fire suppression folks and/or my brother would probably be happy if I got rid of some of the paper in my office...
...Fry recommended that people buy electronic devices from a reputable dealer in Canada or that is CSA certified. She said cheaper equipment purchased online is of particular concern.
She said the city’s fire service was meeting with BC Housing to look at ways to reduce risks in SROs. It is also looking for help from the province on safety measures, such as a possible ban on keeping e-bikes inside residential units...
Which means that, like everyone else, my brother the former fireman and his wife included, better be charging their E-bikes (which they are on constantly, everywhere) outside whenever possible.
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Personally, so far I've resisted the siren's call of the E-boost (see photo at top of post) because I know it will be all downhill for me once I make the choice...Having said that, I'm pretty sure the local fire suppression folks and/or my brother would probably be happy if I got rid of some of the paper in my office...
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9 comments:
Naw. I don't think your brother/fire department would be suggesting you get rid of the paper, especially when the date on the image is from a May 5, 2012 post. Ten years ago? and a Month?
Who uses paper anymore?
http://pacificgazette.blogspot.com/2012/05/my-late-afternoon-visit-to-bikeshop.html
I use paper all the time! Can't really concentrate, especially on science geek papers, when reading on screens.
And ya, it's an old picture, and an old bike - the one shown here was actually stolen out of the garage at home when I got lazy and left it unlocked one too many times...I have no idea how that 2022 timestamp got stuck on this version of picture, probably something that the photos application did during a transfer from one drive to another.
Just couldn't find a picture of the current bike in my box. As for the office - hasn't changed much, although there is a bit more stuff in filing cabinets now...
I think it’s important to give more consideration to the fact that lithium ion batteries are utilized to power a wide variety of consumer products; most notably cell phones, tablets and lap tops (Pro tip: don’t leave your powered up or charging device on a mattress or sofa). I suspect that the VFD Chief’s stats (a blaze caused by these batteries “every couple of days”) refers to lithium ion batteries in general and not just the ones that power e bikes. The increasing prevalence of these batteries is definitely going to add to these numbers, especially when black market, used and damaged/refurbished devices are recycled/introduced into the market.
This is not to discount the risk involved with the potential energy stored in an e bike battery (or batteries that power larger appliances like lawnmowers), there’s definitely a lot more potential for damage if one of these larger batteries explode as compared to one that powers a cell phone or lap top.
Having said that, I will continue to use and recharge the lithium ion batteries for all the devices we use in our home following the recommendations in the VFRS tweet at the top of my brother’s article.
the former fireman
The scary thing is that the batteries are everywhere. My 2006 SLR camera runs on Li-ion, as do many of the cordless tools i use around the house and the spot vac that we break out for small spills. Our emergency lights are Li-ion and I might even be able to find others. The music gear, however, needs BC Hydro...
1. I don't understand how people in SRO's can afford e-bikes.
2. As a former computer programmer, it seems to me that it would be easy to write some code to stop charging before the battery gets close to being overcharged.
3. I'm like you... I'll use muscle power until I can't. I see too many people on e-bikes that need the exercise.
Excellent - comments Danneau and former fireman.
will put an update at top of post.
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Gordie--
Re: the cost...I think that's the point that a certain former fireman is making above...namely that there are lots of knock-offs of all kinds out there that could be problematic...
Your coding idea is a great one - I'm sure this could be built into charging protocols, including for laptops, phones and cameras...I'm not knowledgable enough to know for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there are some chargers/protocols that have such a feature already.
Regarding staying on the full metal pedal...If I took actual trips I'd go E for sure and I don't begrudge anyone using them to get out and about without needing a car...I just know for myself that if I used one to commute I wouldn't get any exercise whatsoever.
Last thing...Another relative of mine, who has a lot of knowledge about all things bike commuting all over the world (used to be his job to know), tells me that there has been a large increase in serious bike injury rates recently in places like the Netherlands that has been attributed to the high cruising speed of E-bikes.
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Link to Netherlands:
https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/13/23023361/e-bike-injuries-increased-risk-netherlands
If you can read Netherlandish:
https://www.veiligheid.nl/verkeer/actueel/aantal-verkeersslachtoffers-met-ernstig-letsel-blijft-stijgen
And this video English Why The Netherlands Is Insanely Well Designed'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP-G-inkkDg
"Why the Netherlands is Insanely Well Designed". that is easy. It saves money and if there is one thing the Duth are is careful with money. They learnt a long, long time ago, it is less expensive to pay up front than later when you have big problems.
the major cities of the Netherlands aree very old and as such were designed diffeerently. Then came WW II and a lot of cities were bombed, just like London. When they started rebuilding, they had a mind to the future. 40% of the housing stock is owned by the government.
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