E-bike batteries have a nasty habit of catching fire and killing people as they sleep. Not surprisingly, this makes some people nervous about owning an e-bike, which is a bad thing if you are an advocate for more battery-operated transportation choices, which we here at CleanTechnica definitely are.
The problem seems to be most acute in New York City, where people in the gig economy rely on e-bikes and other battery-powered devices to make a living. Often, they are used by more than one person, which means they are in almost constant use and are being charged far more often than normal.
An e-bike often has only a rudimentary battery management system (if it has any at all). A proper BMS keeps track of the state of health of the battery cells in a battery pack. It monitors internal temperatures and shuts down charging if a potential fault is detected.
Much of the work a BMS should…
Read the full article originally published at cleantechnica.com.