Originally Posted by
Dudelsack
So, micturition competition aside…
I own a Lectric Xpedition. The charger is Chinese. It’s a 2A charger. I know not to try to use a souped up replacement.
I have dual batteries. I charge only one at a time. I have a timer thingy that shuts off power to the charger after 6 hours.
Should I be worried about torching the place?
I have a Lectric XP Lite. It probably came with the same charger as your Xpedition. I don't have it in front of me now, but I recall that it is marked with CE, but no other certification marks. Same for the battery. Is this how yours are marked, or do yours have 3rd party NRTL marks like UL, SGS, CSA, ETL, TUV, etc.? (NRTL = Nationally Recognized Test Lab)
By placing the CE marking on the battery & charger, the manufacturer is declaring that it complies with all relevant regulations and directives that are in force in Europe. It is not the mark of a 3rd party NRTL. (UL Mark is, for example) It really means nothing in the USA, since first of all it's self-declared and secondly, it's not for this country, so there would never be any enforcement. A 3rd party mark implies continuing follow-up by the NRTL, to ensure the manufacturer continues to build the products according to the descriptive report that was written when the product was evaluated. CE is honor system unless/until there's a problem, then the government goes after you.
Assuming no 3rd party certification marks, what it really comes down to is how much you trust Lectric and the manufacturer of the charger. I'm sure Lectric has done
some testing on the charger and the battery's BMS. (battery management system) Same for the charger and battery mfrs.
These days, I'm sure Lectric is pursuing 3rd party certification, as that's where the market is going. For example, they won't be selling any more eBikes in NYC without this.
As for your charging situation, I don't think you need a timer for that charger, except maybe to limit charging to 80% state of charge. (which will at least double the life of the battery) It is a
proper charger, rather than just a power supply. It will charge the battery at 2 A until it gets to 54.6 VDC, then limit the voltage and charge current until the charge current drops below a certain amount. After that, it shuts down the output so that it won't overcharge. Charging to the full voltage that the pack's rated for is not dangerous. But constant trickle charging lithium can be.
As a general charging precaution, you should try to charge the battery where it is a couple feet away from flammable items. When a lithium battery lights off, they emit a flame like a blowtorch that is not possible to extinguish. So for example, don't charge it while leaning against a garbage can or your wooden cabinets. It's probably safer to leave the battery in the bike, as that will hold it away from the floor. If you only bring the battery inside, consider charging it in a Pyrex baking dish away from the walls and preferably not right underneath the wooden cabinets.
My dad improperly charged a lithium-polymer pack in his basement for a 1/4 scale Piper Cub R/C plane he built, but he had the charger set for NiMH, which does not cap the charge voltage like lithium chargers do. It lit off and shot a green blowtorch out of the pack for a minute or so and filled the whole house with smoke. Luckily, he was charging it in a Pyrex baking dish, as his workbench was an unfinished hollow core door and there were balsa scraps everywhere.