The adverse effect of the growth of the e-bike market in China

In 2017, sales of electric bicycles in China amounted to 31 million units per year.
A considerable number, which however would gradually increase in the years to come in conjunction with the electrification of the country.
Suffice it to say that in 2020 the number of e-bikes placed with customers had reached 47.6 million pieces, and that in 2022, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, 50 million were sold throughout the country.
According to data from the China Bicycle Association, also relating to 2022, a total of at least 350 million electric bikes were registered beyond the Wall, one for every five Chinese.
If, on the one hand, the e-bike craze has become a popular option for Chinese citizens to make daily trips, on the other hand a significant problem has emerged: the risks deriving from their lithium ion batteries.
Which, often too cheap to the detriment of safety, can explode causing unexpected tragedies.
Just like the one that happened in Nanjing, over 8 million people, 300 kilometers from Shanghai.
Here, on February 16, at least 15 people died and 44 were injured after a fire that broke out in a parking space for electric bicycles on the ground floor of an apartment building spread to engulf the residential building.
The disaster, which occurred in the Yuhuatai district, erupted around 4:30 in the morning and seems to be somehow linked to e-bikes.
For the record, the fire was put out at 6am although rescue operations continued for another eight hours.
Electric batteries and fires: the problem tested by China It is not the first time that fires, sometimes deadly, linked to the batteries of electric vehicles have occurred in China.
On August 20, also in Nanjing, a lithium ion battery carried by a passenger on a bus caught fire, engulfing the entire vehicle.
The dramatic toll is that two people died, including a child, and five others were injured.
On August 23, an electric battery exploded while being charged on a balcony in Huizhou city, southern Guangdong province, around midnight.
No casualties were reported in that case, although the explosion caused minor damage to the structure.
The list of similar episodes is very long.
On August 7, a malfunctioning electric bicycle stored inside a van caught fire in the eastern province of Anhui, ultimately destroying the entire vehicle.
Across China, more and more lithium-ion batteries, commonly used to power e-bikes, are catching fire or exploding, underscoring the urgent need for greater safety measures and regulations.
The straw that broke the camel's back coincides, in fact, with the recent Nanjing condominium disaster.
In an effort to eliminate risks, China's Ministry of Emergency Management said it will work to ensure all electric bicycles in the country are parked outdoors.
Arrangements will then be made to thoroughly investigate and address all types of fire-related risks and hidden dangers, particularly in high-rise residential buildings and other key locations.
The real problem of e-bikes China is the most important world market for e-bikes, and for this reason Beijing is committed to solving the safety problems described above and linked to the batteries of electric bicycles.
In any case, the growing number of fires beyond the Wall highlights the potential risks associated with cheap but substandard batteries, particularly in a country where demand is outpacing safety standards dating back to 2020, according to Sixth Tone.
According to China's National Fire and Rescue Administration, a total of 8,370 cases of e-bike fires were reported in the first half of 2022, up 31.3% from the previous year.
In 2023, the National Fire and Rescue Administration found that 42.9% of all home fires across the country were caused by electrical problems.
Overcharging, short circuits when using incompatible charging stations leading to overheating, unauthorized cable connections and illegal charging posed the greatest risks.
Sometimes, the temperature inside an overcharged battery can reach 900 degrees Celsius in as little as three minutes, often resulting in rapidly spreading fires due to the flammable materials used in these same batteries.
Lithium, not surprisingly, is among the most difficult elements to control after combustion.
Once exposed to air, it can react with oxygen causing intense combustion and even explosions.
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