4 ms·

We also have rules about welding car gas tanks, and for similar reasons. One of the virtues of bikes is how easy they are to service or modify at home. It's g

by michael1999 3y ago

We also have rules about welding car gas tanks, and for similar reasons. One of the virtues of bikes is how easy they are to service or modify at home. It's great to tinker with motors, wiring, switching, transmission, and brakes. Unfortunately, LiON battery packs have invisible failure modes that involve burning down the building.

jacquesm 3y ago
And most car gas tanks are no longer made of metal.
- pnpnp 3y ago
  The problem here is that there's not good alternative to Lithium for now. LiFePO4 (commonly seen as LFP) chemistry is a little safer, but also less energy dense & heavier. It's unclear to me whether or not these downsides rule out that chemistry's use for bikes as space and weight can often be at a premium.
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    Agreed, and yes, this is a problem. I'm hoping for Lithium Titanate to become more affordable, I think it is one of the most promising candidates.
    - pnpnp 3y ago
      I forgot about that chemistry! I’m excited about it as well. It still seems to be unobtanium for my use-cases :)
      - jacquesm 3y ago
        You can get the cells but they are still too expensive and the form factor doesn't help either, but I'm hopeful that this will be resolved.
- firebat45 3y ago
  While true, this hasn't changed the fact that you can still weld plastic gas tanks.
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    Yes, but I would only do that for a car for which no tanks are available any more. If you can still get a NOS one then you probably should, unless the leak is very small and on the top of the tank (where it rarely is...).