Electric Bikes

[Towered]

I can't tell the wife she's stubborn. Are you married What happened to your ebike?

I assumed everything Bosch now has a Chinese motor. In a prior life I was the product manager for a power tools brand. They sent me to the EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair in Cologne, Germany. The main floors of the show were normal halls of innovation. But in the basement levels of the China pavilions, the true secrets were revealed, where shady characters would make you anything you wanted for your brand. In these halls you'd see the same Chinese electronic firms making Black & Decker, Bosch, Craftsman, DeWalt, Hitachi, Makita, Milwaukee, Porter-Cable, Ridgid, Ryobi, Skil, etc. cordless power tools, often times with seemingly identical internal components. Their questions to me where essentially, how much do you want to pay (they would adjust component quality accordingly), what skin do you want, do you want UL/CSA, how long does this tool need to last (for example, 20-30 hours of run time the usual lifetime use of an econo cordless power drill), and how many can you buy? Always closing with, for you, special price.

I'm not married, but been with a partner for 11 years and have 1 biological child together (she had 2 from a previous relationship). My ebike got stolen outside a community centre while I went to work out

 

[Admiral Beez]

My ebike got stolen outside a community centre while I went to work out

I hate bike theft. When I bought my new bike I didn't bother buying a lock. Like how I will never leave my dog outside a shop while I pop in for whatnot, I will never lock up my bicycle anywhere. Which makes the usefulness of my bike rather limited. I use Bikeshare for any errands. If I had to cycle to work I think I'd buy a beater bike - but that excludes ebikes of course. Any used ebike for sale on Kijiji is going to be stolen goods.

 

[afransen]

True, but I think it's the rechargeable sort that are risky. Even Teslas and other EVs suffer battery fires. I've read that it's increasing due to a lack of cobalt.

Not sure that is true. Lithium iron phosphate batteries are actually quite resistant to thermal runaway, contain no cobalt and are actually cheaper. That said, I think ebikes generally use NCM chemistry that is at greater risk of thermal runaway and catching fire. The downside of LFP batteries for ebikes is that they don't perform well in the cold. EVs overcome this with active thermal management systems that ebikes don't have.

 

[afransen]

I hate bike theft. When I bought my new bike I didn't bother buying a lock. Like how I will never leave my dog outside a shop while I pop in for whatnot, I will never lock up my bicycle anywhere. Which makes the usefulness of my bike rather limited. I use Bikeshare for any errands. If I had to cycle to work I think I'd buy a beater bike - but that excludes ebikes of course. Any used ebike for sale on Kijiji is going to be stolen goods.

It bothers me that police perceive bike theft as a trivial crime unworthy of their time. It dissuades bike usage which has a big impact on how people exist in the city.

 

[robmausser]

Not sure that is true. Lithium iron phosphate batteries are actually quite resistant to thermal runaway, contain no cobalt and are actually cheaper. That said, I think ebikes generally use NCM chemistry that is at greater risk of thermal runaway and catching fire. The downside of LFP batteries for ebikes is that they don't perform well in the cold. EVs overcome this with active thermal management systems that ebikes don't have.

Even the NCM batteries, the risk of them exploding or catching fire is relatively small (as long as they pass North American regulations, cant speak about some other batteries you can buy online). Stoves catch fire, gasoline cars do, hairspray bottles explode in peoples hands, etc, but currently EV's and ebike/phone batteries are in the news hype/circle right now. Its whats popular to talk about in the media.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Even the NCM batteries, the risk of them exploding or catching fire is relatively small (as long as they pass North American regulations, cant speak about some other batteries you can buy online).

You're probably right, but just for reassurance earlier this week I asked Swytch about battery safety. Here's what they replied:

"We have noted the news regarding fires from eBike conversion kits and I would like to make some points clear that will put your mind at rest. Firstly, Swytch rigorously tests our batteries and kits and they comply with the highest safety standards, we have a declaration of conformity and UKCA and CE markings on our battery and motor wheels. Outside of this, we have performed thousands of hours of varied testing with our experienced engineering team to make sure that the Swytch is one of the safest battery packs around. All Swytch batteries are made with the highest grade lithium-ion cells, are guaranteed for 1000+ cycles, 3 years+ lifetimes and conform with the highest safety standards. In addition, our kits are of course fully compliant with UN3480 / 3481 regulations and are safe for shipping via our distributors. Secondly, almost all of the reported fires are related to leaving an e-bike battery connected to an incompatible charger for a long period of time. As long as you use the Swytch battery correctly you will never come across this situation. In our newest GO power packs, we use EVE and Samsung cells."

 

[Admiral Beez]

It bothers me that police perceive bike theft as a trivial crime unworthy of their time. It dissuades bike usage which has a big impact on how people exist in the city.

TPS perceive all property crime outside of auto theft as low priority. My neighbour's bicycle is worth more than my, albeit twelve year old, car, but if his bike is stolen the police do nothing.

 

[lenaitch]

TPS perceive all property crime outside of auto theft as low priority. My neighbour's bicycle is worth more than my, albeit twelve year old, car, but if his bike is stolen the police do nothing.

And that's only a fairly recent interest.

 

[lenaitch]

I would have to do a lot of research to confirm this, but my sense is both TPS and the OPP lost interest in auto theft during the respective tenures of Fantino. The dye had already been cast though. In the OPP, 'auto theft' had already been more focused on construction equipment/commercial vehicle and load theft. Theft of personal vehicles from driveways and parking lots was viewed as a non-violent, insurable loss incident, and back then was still very much a crime of opportunity or looking for a vehicle to use in other crimes. The whole organized crime, off-shore market, almost 'theft-to-order crime pattern wasn't really on the radar.