The US Shopper Safety Security Fee issued a stark warning about Rad Energy Bikes’ e-bike batteries Monday, linking them to dozens of fires and saying they “pose a danger of great damage and loss of life.”
The batteries can “unexpectedly ignite and explode,” particularly when water or particles leaks in to cells or the harness, the company says. CPSC says there have been 31 fires, together with 12 stories of property injury totaling $734,500, a few of which occurred when the battery was not charging and the bike was in storage or not in use. No accidents had been reported because of the fires.
The next fashions are included within the CPSC warning: RadWagon 4, RadCity HS 4, RadRover Excessive Step 5, RadCity Step Via 3, RadRover Step Via 1, RadRunner 2, RadRunner 1, RadRunner Plus, and RadExpand 5. In line with the company, the battery mannequin quantity (HL-RP-S1304 or RP-1304) is printed on a label on the again or rear of the battery. All of the batteries had been manufactured in China.
Rad Energy Bikes has “refused to conform to an appropriate recall,” CPSC says in its assertion. “Given its monetary state of affairs, Rad Energy Bikes has indicated to CPSC that it’s unable to supply substitute batteries or refunds to all customers.”
The Seattle-based firm, which is likely one of the main sellers of e-bikes in North America, has fallen on onerous occasions just lately, within the wake of the post-covid bike growth. Rad Energy Bikes is at present going through “vital monetary challenges” that would result in its imminent closure and not using a money infusion, GeekWire reported earlier this month.
Poorly made e-bike batteries have been implicated in quite a few lethal fires throughout the US and the UK in recent times. In New York Metropolis alone, the place tens of hundreds of supply staff journey round on e-bikes day-after-day, dozens of individuals have been killed in fires linked to defective lithium-ion batteries.
Picture: Rad Energy Bikes
However whereas Rad Energy Bikes hasn’t been implicated in any fires which have resulted in damage or fatality, the corporate was conscious that the notion of defective batteries may definitely damage its enterprise. Final 12 months, Rad Energy Bikes launched new batteries with thermal resistant expertise designed to stop fires. The corporate injects an epoxy resin into the battery cells, which prevents a chemical response within the battery that may trigger it to warmth as much as the purpose of exploding, often known as a thermal runaway.
Rad Energy Bikes has taken different security steps, too, together with shifting to the 21,700 cells (21mm in diameter and 70mm in size) from the 18,650 cells for its batteries and complying with UL security certification for each its bikes and batteries.
Reached for remark, Rad Energy Bikes director of brand name advertising and communications Kelsey Wolf mentioned the corporate “strongly disagrees” with CPSC’s characterization of its batteries as faulty or unsafe. Unbiased checks have confirmed that Rad’s batteries conform to the trade’s security requirements, she mentioned, noting that CSPC doesn’t dispute these findings.
“The incident fee related to the batteries within the CPSC’s discover is a fraction of 1 p.c,” Wolf mentioned in a press release. “Whereas that quantity is low, we all know even one incident is one too many, and we’re heartbroken by any report involving our merchandise.”
She mentioned that Rad Energy Bikes is dedicated to working with CPSC to handle its considerations. The corporate pitched “a number of good-faith options,” together with providing its prospects a possibility to improve to the brand new thermal resistant batteries at a reduction — however CPSC rejected this answer.
“The numerous price of the all-or-nothing demand would drive Rad to close its doorways instantly, leaving no solution to help our riders or our workers,” Wolf mentioned.
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