Where do you Ebikers charge your batteries

[johnnyb47]

Hi,
I've been looking at various Ebikes lately and must admit I've been seriously tempted into buying one after having a go on one.
Naturally I've been googling and learning all about the ins and outs about them and somehow found myself reading about all the scary stuff about Ebike fires.
In the perfect world we would all have a warm dry garage away from the house to charge a battery but in reality it's not always the case.
I was just wondering where do you good people charge your batteries,and do you feel comfortable charging them up inside your home.

 

[youngoldbloke]

In the house, until the (attached) garage reaches a consistent temperature of over 50*F. The bikes are stored in the house too. The batteries are not removeable. As comfortable as charging any other device in the house. I don't keep laptops in the garage. Never leave anything charging unattended anyway, and the bike charging is always timed.

 

[Drago]

In Accy's hallway.

 

[johnnyb47]

Brilliant answer 🤣

 

[Tenkaykev]

Charge mine in the lounge. It's a well known trusted brand and I'm confident that both the battery and charger are very high quality with all the relevant safety testing certifications.
The majority of reported fires tend to be cheap Ebay batteries and chargers of dubious provenance.

 

[Mike Ayling]

The last recommendation that I saw was to charge in an area where you were present so if any wisps of smoke appear you can take immediate action. It will be easier to respond if you are indoors with the battery than if is out of sight in the garage.
If you have a reputable battery brand and the correct matching charger fires are less likely to occur

 

[Jenkins]

In the built in shed, only using the correct manufacturer's charger that was supplied with the bike. Having seen some of the shoddy aftermarket c**p seized by Trading Standards over the years, why try to save a couple of quid at the risk of safety?

 

[dicko]

Outside the house.

 

[the snail]

In the kitchen. I don't leave it charging overnight or when I'm out of the house though. The main risks seem to be cheap no-name batteries, using the wrong charger, or charging damaged batteries. Where do you charge your phones, laptops etc?

 

[wiggydiggy]

In the house.

 

[numbnuts]

In my flat, no where else to charge it, as they say "so far so good"

 

[Electric_Andy]

Mine was a Wisper battery so I trusted it. I used to bring it in and charge it in the lounge. Sometimes I'd take it in and charge it at work but only when the boss wasn't there (she'd be sure to make a comment about clutter and/or cost of electricity). I'm sure if you're worried about fires you could make some sort of box or tray out of fireproof fabric? Would be fine as long as you allowed the charger to breath. Any fire would set your smoke alarms off before any real damage was done

 

[wiggydiggy]

I just read my instructions again and my battery (Bosch Powerpack 500) includes a temperature protection circuit, it won't charge when out of range. However when it is out of range it needs to be unplugged so I'm still keeping it inside as I'm not going outside everytime it shows out of range. I imagine I could use a smart plug + thermometer combination to allow me to control the on/off operation when it's outside without going outside. In time I'd think we start to see those sort of systems develop naturally though.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

My main ebike has a Bosch system so I have no worries about charging it in the house

I do however put a timer on it so that the power is cut off after several hours - timed so that it should be at 100% by then
I just use an old timer I used to use to switch the lights on and off when I went on holiday

I have another ebike that uses a Bafang system - but which has been recelled and I am more dubious with that one. However, it was recelled by a proper company - but I recharge it in the utility room and make sure it is away from anything flammable and only done when I am around.

I wouldn;t even try using a cheap import using a no-name battery and generic charger

having said which - I also have a laptop which uses the same battery technology and have no qualms about having in on charge on my lap or on the sofa!!!!
but again - only using the proper charger!

bear in mind that some years ago there was a lot of talk about fire caused by laptop batteries - which seem to have died down and been replaced by ebike reports

 

[Dadam]

Normally in the garage, but in the cold snap before Christmas I brought batteries inside to warm up before charging, and the whole Orbea bike with its integrated battery. No concerns about the Orbea/Mahle and the Bosch, or the battery from the Woosh conversion with the supplied charger, but I didn't leave them charging overnight. I also checked by touch that the charger or battery casing weren't getting overly hot.

Also there's often 4 iPads, 4 iPhones and a laptop or two charging, plus the odd set of bluetooth headphones, or bike lights etc.