- This topic has 8 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 1 month ago by .
-
Topic
-
Hi from Tasmania! My strata community is I believe on the leading edge of promoting sustainable transport in a strata environment. We operate an EV carshare program, many residents have bikes and e-bikes, and there are some e-scooters. Our transport hub is located in the basement of our 6 storey concrete apartment block, and is well ventilated to the street. With the recent news about numbers of lithium battery related fires, we have decided to form a Body Corporate (BC) policy (and likely a new By-law) to reduce the risk and to protect the safety of residents. I’m happy to share our current thinking and would also be interested to get comments from other communities who are thinking about this issue.
We had an initial discussion paper, and now we are at the stage of drafting the policy and by-law. Here are some excerpts from the current draft:
In line with our Vision and our Sustainable Transport Strategy, ….. supports conversion of transport choices to renewable electric modes, and our basement is a hub for EVs, e-bikes and e-scooters belonging to our residents.
Generally, lithium-ion batteries are safe, however if they are mistreated, damaged, have manufacturing defects, are incorrectly used or have charging issues, they may be prone to fires. In Australia, there have been a number of instances where lithium-ion battery fires have caused considerable damage to buildings. Excessive heat – for example from using a faulty charger and overcharging the battery, or due to a short circuit – can damage the battery cell internally and cause it to fail. Physical damage to lithium-ion battery cells can allow the electrolyte inside to leak, which is another potential hazard risk. …….
This draft policy is based on current recommendations from a range of authorities, including The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), Underwriters Laboratory (UL) Research Institute (USA), Bicycle Industries Australia, UNSW, Strata Community Association, and Tasmania Fire Service
… Policy on Lithium Batteries:
1. Appropriate lithium batteries and electric vehicles in …..
Larger lithium batteries, such as those used for transportation (i.e. electric vehicles, bicycles and scooters), must (or should) (?) be stored in the basement not in any apartments.
Electric vehicles, including e-bikes and e-scooters, and other battery powered devices must (should?) be bought from reputable Australian retailers.
The batteries and chargers used in … must be from original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and must not include any counterfeit components. They should have a valid certification mark, such as the UL or UKCA or CE logo. A reputable brand-name charger will include a battery management system (BMS) and hence will be unlikely to overcharge and overheat.
The separate components, such as battery and charger, must be compatible with each other i.e. designed to be used together. Generic chargers are not suitable.
The device must not have aftermarket modifications, for example to increase speed, such that it is no longer compliant with the relevant Australian Standards.
Owners must register the product with the manufacturer to validate any warranties on components including batteries. This also makes it easier for manufacturers to contact in the event of safety or recall information.
Owners must check that any products bought are not subject to a product recall. This can be done by checking Electrical Safety First’s website or the Australian government website.2. Usage and charging of lithium batteries in ……
Lithium batteries used for transport applications, such as those for EVs, e-bikes and e-scooters, must be charged in the basement (not within an apartment, where they are at greater risk of overheating and where any fire would be a greater risk to all residents).
The lithium-ion battery should be allowed to cool after use before putting it on to recharge.
Lithium-ion batteries should be charged on a non-flammable surface such as concrete, ceramic, and steel, away from flammable material. Allow some space between batteries when recharging.
Batteries must not be left plugged in, on charge, beyond when they are fully recharged.
If the battery or charger has been dropped or is getting unusually hot, it must be referred to a certified repairer for investigation.
If the battery or charger is showing signs of piercing or damage, or starts to smoke, it must be immediately removed from the building and replaced.
Follow local recycling options to safely dispose of the lithium-ion battery – do not place it in the rubbish bin.3. Safety provisions in the basement of …..
The basement transport hub area is well-ventilated and will have operational smoke alarms and water sprinklers.
A suitable fire extinguisher compliant with AS2444 will be located near the e-vehicle storage area, and exchanged before expiry date.
A kit including gloves will be provided to assist users with the rapid removal of an overheated battery.A new By-Law
Perhaps add to existing 3…. (Flammable Liquids) (edit the name) or create a new 3….:
The Owner or occupier of a Lot must not store or charge a lithium battery used in an electric vehicle (including e-bike or e-scooter) on the Lot.
- This topic was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by .
-
Replies
-
That seems broadly sensible and workable. Questions that occur to me are:
Not being familiar with your layout, can a person easily comply while having their expensive e-bike or scooter or its detached battery secured against theft or interference?
Are there power points in parking spaces allocated to individual units so that one can plug in when it is convenient without needing to wait for someone else to get off a shared facility?
Have you checked the capacity of the relevant circuits to handle multiple instances of charging? Multiple e-bikes and scooters that might each only pull 1-2 Amps are probably not an issue but you couldn’t have multiple electric cars each pulling 10A on a circuit with multiple 10A power points behind perhaps one 16A breaker.
… had the vision to set up our building for sustainable transport. A fast AC charger was installed (7/22kW) and a number of 15A power outlets are available for e-bikes and e-scooters…
How many units do you have? 6 floors suggests quite a lot, which means that one shared AC charger might not be enough once most cars are electric. While a minority of the building’s cars are electric, you might be fine with a shared charger as an interim arrangement and people might be good at negotiating sharing.
Later you might need more charging outlets. On the other hand, they don’t necessarily need to be all that fast. They could be 7kW max. and networked to load share. When many are plugged in and/or other building demand is high, charging could be paused or limited to just 1.5kW. As some cars cease charging and/or building demand falls, remaining cars can steadily increase their charge rates. Eventually, the last few cars can charge the full 7kW when building demand is low. The control of charge rates can be done automatically by a central control box that communicates to each charger, which in turn tells each car what current they can draw.
This sort of load management avoids the need for expensive upgrades to the buildings supply.
I agree with the guidelines you propose.
However the fires associated with lithium batteries in consumer equipment mostly due to poor charging equipment, usually bought with cheap products.
Do you think the people who buy such ( cheap) products are going to adhere to the policy?
Also where are you going to find the lithium cops? Whilst I understand a lot of the technical detail in your proposal, most lay people are not knowledgeable enough to make those distinctions.
I agree it’s a problem of concern.
Perhaps a better way to tackle this issue is an education program in your community.
Maybe back thst up with a site visit by a suitably qualified electrician to check the equipment people are using. I’m thinking of a work area in your garage where people can bring their batteries and charges and get an inspection for free.
I agreed broadly with the sentiments outlined above in relation to ensuring residents have complying equipment that meets Australian standards – the same with any other product they buy really. There is an onus on personal responsibility here.
If there is a fire and suspect chargers are the likely cause then the fire services will investigate as will insurers to determine liability.
The best we can do as active strata owners is ensure we have by-laws/rules in place to ensure residents are aware of their obligations that any equipment they bring into the complex complies with relevant Australian standards whether its gas bbq’s, lighting, lamps, tv, any sort of charger or battery.
Owners corporations would probably be well advised to undertake a “test and tag” activity to identify all component plugged into outlets on common property is identified.
I’m not sure what the additional cost of “test and tag”ging for privately owned equipment in common areas would amount to.
The cost of test and tag would be prohibitive and the intrusion into our lives for inspections would be unacceptable, to the point that most people would refuse to comply, even if they knew their equipment was up to scratch.
Insurance companies employ very smart people to look at real-life statistics and evaluate risk. They tend to err on the side of safety when it comes to calculating premiums. If and when your insurance policies – strata or home and contents – include “extras” for charging electric cars, bikes and scooters – either in the comunal garage or in the home – you’ll know it’s time to be genuinely concerned.
Right now I would imagine we are at greater potential risk from balcony barbecues and discarded lit cigarettes than the relatively few electric batteries in cars and on bikes, but it’s still not enough to get the alarm bells ringing.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.