These companies say they have a better way to charge e-bike batteries | CBC News

Lithium battery fires and explosions from e-bikes and e-scooters have caused millions in damage across Canada and have led to deaths. Fire chiefs have raised concerns, and some buildings and transit systems have imposed bans. PopWheels and Powershelter launched in Canada to provide fireproof charging lockers for e-bike batteries. PopWheels also offers battery swapping for food delivery workers, reducing the need to carry extra batteries. Batteries can weigh as much as a four-litre jug of milk, and carrying them can cause back pain. Swapping lets workers exchange a depleted battery for a fully charged one using a phone app, improving convenience and reducing theft worries.

"Fires and explosions from lithium batteries for e-bikes and e-scooters have led to millions in damage from Nanaimo, B.C., to Moncton, N.B., and even deaths. Fire chiefs have voiced concerns and e-bikes face bans in some buildings and transit. Now companies have launched a solution in Canada that they say could have added benefits to the growing numbers of e-bike users seeking an affordable, convenient transportation option."

"PopWheels is targeting food delivery workers, offering the option to swap batteries so they don't have to carry around extras. Each typically weigh as much as a four-litre jug of milk. Natnael Kenaw, who delivers food for UberEats and occasionally DoorDash, said he got a lot of back pain when he packed extra batteries in a backpack, so he would try to stash them at the gym and pay convenience stores to charge them so he could get enough power for his whole workday."

"Being able to swap a depleted battery for a fully charged one at Toronto's PopWheels lockers is "like a thousand pounds off your back," said Kenaw, who recently started using the service. "It makes everything so much better, so much easier, convenient. You don't have to worry about anybody stealing your battery." After opening an empty PopWheels locker with his phone app, Natnael Kenaw plugs in his depleted battery, and gets a new, full battery from a different locker."

"PopWheels launched in New York City last year. David Hammer, the company's co-founder and president, said it now has 50 swapping stations there and more than 1,000 customers who have already done 200,000 battery swaps. In Toronto, it has a single location at Queen and Jarvis close to the downtown core where Kenaw says food delivery workers can make the most money, although the location isn't ideal because that neighbour"

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