Is the battery removable? Chinese will lug their bike batteries at night to chargers up stairs in their apartments, but I guess the USA is different than china about this?
No good ideas otherwise. I wouldn’t worry about the battery inside much unless it’s from a really dodgy supplier (but then again, all the Chinese e-bike batteries are, and people still charge inside, it helps that they use concrete rather than wood).
> Is the battery removable? Chinese will lug their bike batteries at night to chargers up stairs in their apartments, but I guess the USA is different than china about this?
Yes it is removable, but that doesn't change anything. The problem is the battery, not the bike. I'd rather store/charge large lithium batteries away from residences and flammable structures. 1kWh going into thermal runaway is no joke. It should really not be allowed by fire code, to be honest, unless the building is concrete and the charging location allows for safe egress if a fire starts.
That said, a larger fraction of Chinese buildings are concrete and more likely to be okay (provided people pay attention to evacuation route if the battery goes on fire in their apartment). My entire complex of 50+ apartments in California is a huge wooden structure. One bad fire could easily send all of it up in flames. There are safer, concrete buildings here, but they cost USD $4000+ for a 1-bedroom.
Regardless where you are, removable battery is a huge fire hazard. News about devastating fires caused by e-bikes batteries shows up from time to time. In China, It's common to see posters advocating for the storage of e-bikes outside building.
No good ideas otherwise. I wouldn’t worry about the battery inside much unless it’s from a really dodgy supplier (but then again, all the Chinese e-bike batteries are, and people still charge inside, it helps that they use concrete rather than wood).