e-bike safety upgraded
2024-09-29
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"china economic weekly" reporter niu chaoge | reporting from beijing
"little emule" welcomes policy gift packages.
recently, the ministry of industry and information technology, together with relevant departments, has carried out the revision of the mandatory national standard "electric bicycle safety technical specifications", formed a draft standard and publicly solicited public opinions.
not long ago, the ministry of commerce and other five departments issued the "implementation plan for promoting the trade-in of old electric bicycles for new", which supports electric bicycle sales companies, manufacturing companies, and recycling companies to jointly carry out trade-in, and provides consumers with superimposed discounts.
the "new national standard" and trade-in for new products both focus on safety. in recent years, while bringing convenience to people, electric bicycles catching fire have also continued to irritate the public's attention. how to ensure the safety of "little electric donkeys" has become a common issue in the whole society.
workers are installing batteries
"new national standard", replacing old with new, intended for safety
the consultation draft is a revision of the current standard. compared with the current standards, this draft has been revised in many safety-related aspects such as fire retardancy, tamper resistance, and motor power limitations. for example, improve the fire and flame retardant properties, improve the flame retardant requirements and test methods for non-metallic materials used in electric bicycles, limit the proportion of plastic parts used, thereby reducing fire risks and maintaining the maximum design speed at 25km/h, etc.
from the perspective of ensuring safety, there is a more urgent need to trade in electric bicycles for new ones.
"with the increase of use time, the components and electrical circuits of electric bicycles will age to varying degrees, which will affect safety. making full use of this trade-in policy to eliminate old electric bicycles and batteries will help reduce the stock of electric bicycles. "safety risks," he penglin, deputy director of the security technology research center of the china electronics technology standardization institute of the ministry of industry and information technology, told a reporter from china economic weekly.
he penglin said that promoting the replacement of old electric bicycles with new ones can not only promote consumption, but also ensure safety, killing two birds with one stone.
it is worth noting that aging is only one aspect, and the phenomenon of illegal battery abuse needs to be improved urgently.
he penglin introduced that according to regulations, the nominal voltage of the battery must not be higher than 48v, but there are still many excessive-standard lithium batteries with nominal voltages of 60v and 72v on the market, and many typical vicious electric bicycle fire accidents that have occurred were all modified excessive-standard lithium batteries. battery trigger. these non-standard and over-standard lithium batteries with serious safety risks are one of the key groups in this trade-in policy.
"most of these over-standard batteries are illegally modified and replaced privately. most of them come from small factories or even small workshops, and some even use defective batteries or recycled batteries. in this case, product quality cannot be effectively guaranteed." he penglin said .
"the new policy can make the electric bicycle industry more standardized, improve the safety and performance standards of the entire market, and urge companies to provide consumers with safer and higher-performance products, thereby promoting the healthy development of the entire industry." xiao niu electric ceo li yan told reporters from china economic weekly.
li yan also believes that old non-standard batteries and over-standard large-capacity batteries generally have safety hazards and unstable performance. batteries that meet standards have strict regulations on safety, stability, environmental protection and battery life. they are not only safer and more reliable, but also have a longer service life.
li yan said that the new standard also improves the safety technical standards of the battery pack. it implements an effective identification and mutual recognition mechanism between the charger and the battery pack, and between the battery pack and the vehicle, which can effectively prevent illegal tampering of the vehicle. .
guo wenyu, secretary-general of the china bicycle association, analyzed to a reporter from china economic weekly that after the trade-in, the number of electric bicycles with safety risks on the market will be effectively reduced.
lead-acid batteries or lithium batteries, how should consumers choose?
whether it is your first purchase or a trade-in, safety is undoubtedly one of the most important things for consumers when purchasing an electric bicycle. however, in recent years, electric bicycle battery fire incidents have become common. in terms of battery types, there are currently two types of batteries in the domestic electric bicycle market: lead-acid batteries and lithium batteries. how should consumers choose?
he penglin revealed that currently, lead-acid batteries account for more than 80% of the domestic electric bicycle market, while lithium batteries account for less than 20%. he believes that when consumers choose lead-acid batteries, their main considerations are cheapness and safety; when choosing lithium batteries, their main considerations are portability and battery life.
"lead-acid batteries and lithium batteries have their own advantages, and they cannot completely replace each other for the time being." lu jinlong, honorary chairman of the jiangsu bicycle and electric vehicle association, told a reporter from china economic weekly.
wang yanrong from company nine also expressed the same view to the reporter of china economic weekly. he believes that consumers need to make choices based on their consumption habits, income, aesthetics and other actual conditions when choosing which battery to use.
this trade-in policy will increase subsidies for lead-acid battery electric bicycles with safety advantages. however, he penglin said that this trade-in cannot simply be considered to mean the return of the "lead-acid battery era".
“i think this trade-in policy has put forward higher requirements and expectations for lithium battery companies. it will promote the formalization of lithium battery companies, promote the reshuffle of the lithium battery industry, accelerate technological updates and iterations, and produce safer and more compliant products. lithium batteries, thereby reducing the number of fires caused by lithium batteries," he penglin said.
feng xiao, chairman and president of phylion power co., ltd., told a reporter from china economic weekly that as long as it is a regular battery product, whether it is a lead-acid battery or a lithium battery, it is safe and reliable. however, from the perspective of industry development, lithium batteries are the focus of development and have broad room for development.
"compared with lead-acid batteries, lithium batteries can run farther with the same energy, are lighter in weight and volume, and have a lifespan that is 4 to 5 times longer than the former." feng xiao said.
he penglin said that safety is the purpose of this trade-in, and compliance is the means of this trade-in. whether it is a lead-acid battery or a lithium battery, as long as it can achieve the purpose of ensuring safety.
ma gangjie, general manager of dongfeng power's electric brand jihe, said that lead-acid batteries are cheaper, but heavier, and have advantages in the low-power market for short-distance travel. if you are pursuing high power, speed, and battery life, lithium batteries are better.
“if you just go out to buy groceries or take your children to and from school, and the round trip distance is only a few kilometers, and you need to charge it once every three to five days, lead-acid batteries have more advantages, but if you commute a long distance and have requirements for speed, battery life, appearance, etc., then lithium batteries still have more room for development," ma gangjie said.
looking into the future, he penglin believes that from balancing cost, safety, convenience, environmental protection and other aspects, as well as the increasingly personalized needs of users, electric bicycle batteries will definitely develop in a diversified direction. research and development of new safer batteries will be a means for companies to improve their core competitiveness. solid-state lithium batteries, sodium-ion batteries, zinc-nickel batteries, etc. with better safety are all likely to have a place in the future.
li yan said that as an electric bicycle company, maverick electric is willing to invest time and energy in joint research and development with battery companies on battery technology and explore new battery technologies to achieve higher energy density and better safety performance. he will continue to pay attention to and study the development of new battery technologies and assess their feasibility and potential for application in two-wheeled electric vehicles.
(this article was published in "china economic weekly" issue 18, 2024)
