We sympathize with people who have been impacted by the hurricanes that have recently hit our East Coast. At this time, it’s important to note safety concerns with electric bikes exposed to water.

If partially or totally submerged in water, the lithium-ion battery pack used to power many electric devices and vehicles will suffer damage that will compromise its safety and stability. This damage can be even more severe if your battery pack was submerged in salt water.

What to do?

Please check your electric bike as soon as possible. Unfortunately, if your electric bike has been submerged in water during the storm, it’s very likely that its electrical system has been damaged and it is unsafe to use.

If the battery pack was partially or totally submerged, it will need to be safely disposed of due to risk of fire.

Under no circumstances should you attempt to recharge a lithium-ion battery pack that has been partially or totally submerged in water. Attempting to charge a compromised lithium-io battery pack can result in a very dangerous fire that generates significant heat, toxic gasses and is extremely difficult to control.

Carefully remove the battery pack from the bike (or wherever it was stored when submerged), and take it to a safe location outside, away from any flammable materials. Please use the utmost of care in all management of your battery.

Call2Recycle® recommends arranging temporary safe storage for your battery in non-flammable materials such as sand or kitty litter while you arrange for safe drop off. Call2Recycle® operates an electric bike battery collection and recycling program.

They advise that damaged, defective, or recalled lithium metal or lithium-ion batteries should never be placed in a regular Call2Recycle drop-off box. They must be placed into a specially protected DDR container. If these batteries are shipped without proper protection, they are more likely to cause safety incidents, such as sparks, which can lead to a fire.

To arrange safe drop-off, find a Call2Recycle drop-off centre that accepts damaged batteries. You can do this by contacting Customer Service by phone at 1.888.224.9764 or by email to customerservice@call2recycle.ca. The Call2Recylce team will help locate the nearest drop-off location that accepts DDR batteries. Staff at the identified drop-off location will place the battery into a DDR container, for safe and compliant shipment to a recycler. Learn more…

Further Information

Consult with your insurance company to see whether your electric bike was covered by your homeowner’s policy.

Other common items of concern with lithium-ion batteries are laptops, tablets, cell phones, video game controllers, e-readers, and digital cameras.