is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.
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The US Consumer Protection Safety Commission issued a stark warning about Rad Power Bikes’ e-bike batteries Monday, linking them to dozens of fires and saying they “pose a risk of serious injury and death.”
The batteries can “unexpectedly ignite and explode,” especially when water or debris leaks in to cells or the harness, the agency says. CPSC says there have been 31 fires, including 12 reports of property damage totaling $734,500, some of which occurred when the battery was not charging and the bike was in storage or not in use. No injuries were reported as a result of the fires.
The following models are included in the CPSC warning: RadWagon 4, RadCity HS 4, RadRover High Step 5, RadCity Step Thru 3, RadRover Step Thru 1, RadRunner 2, RadRunner 1, RadRunner Plus, and RadExpand 5. According to the agency, the battery model number (HL-RP-S1304 or RP-1304) is printed on a label on the back or rear of the battery. All the batteries were manufactured in China.
Rad Power Bikes has “refused to agree to an acceptable recall,” CPSC says in its statement. “Given its financial situation, Rad Power Bikes has indicated to CPSC that it is unable to offer replacement batteries or refunds to all consumers.”
The Seattle-based company, which is one of the leading sellers of e-bikes in North America, has fallen on hard times recently, in the wake of the post-covid bike boom. Rad Power Bikes is currently facing “significant financial challenges” that could lead to its imminent closure without a cash infusion, GeekWire reported earlier this month.
Poorly made e-bike batteries have been implicated in numerous deadly fires across the US and the UK in recent years. In New York City alone, where tens of thousands of delivery workers ride around on e-bikes every day, dozens of people have been killed in fires linked to faulty lithium-ion batteries.
Image: Rad Power Bikes
But while Rad Power Bikes hasn’t been implicated in any fires that have resulted in injury or fatality, the company was aware that the perception of faulty batteries could certainly hurt its business. Last year, Rad Power Bikes introduced new batteries with thermal resistant technology designed to prevent fires. The company injects an epoxy resin into the battery cells, which prevents a chemical reaction in the battery that can cause it to heat up to the point of exploding, also known as a thermal runaway.
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