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[WARNING] Gotway Nikola 100v 1800WH Battery Fire


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Let me just add that as an amateur DIY I wouldn't hesitate to use these cells. They seem really good. But a pack is only as good as its management system and so maybe these cells require more balancing current to stay balanced, which I think most bms lack anyway. It's only adequate for brand new matched cells. As soon as they age a bit (any cell, not just these) the balancing current is inadequate. That's why I blame bms instead of cells.

It would be interesting to know if anyone with a first gen Nikola actually has the three lines on the negative pole.

Edited by alcatraz
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If gotway still use the same bms boards today with 2000+Wh as they did 4-5y ago when capacities were 1300Wh then balancing currents are quickly diminishing in proportion to capacity. (Larger capacity packs take longer to balance). With the risk of sounding like a broken record, check your cell voltages everyone....

Edited by alcatraz
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2 hours ago, alcatraz said:

The tesla cells are just like the ones on ebay. On the bare metal outer body there's a square barcode on the side and three lines on the negative side. The positive side looks like a bowl basically.

Here's the current tesla motor cell market situation in China. The prices are dropping. Don't be fooled by the shrinkwrap or positive pole, it's the same cell underneath. Tons and tons and tons of cells. They come delivered to the multiple refurbishing factories in complete trailer truck loads. They are sold in bulk measured in tons, not quantities.

Anyway, I just suspect that these are the only kind of 21700 panasonic cells in circulation.

Well, there's the other shoe. I'm going to guess the reputable sellers got the Panasonic 21700 information from Gotway. Gotway possibly bought refurbished cells, and is now recalling them because, quite frankly, using used cells not designed for this task is generally a bad idea.

China does a lot of "recycling," that's how all those plastic straws ended up in the ocean. Now we have the evidence they imported TESLA batteries in bulk and are ripping them apart for the cells. I can understand third party sellers using them, figuring "they seem good and are cheap, they'll last six months." 

And as @houseofjob said, anything for a buck. If Gotway marketed the wheels as having TESLA cells, and they are actual TESLA cells, they're used cells, selling at more than 18650 prices. If that really is the case, I'd cancel my Veteran order knowing that will most likely be more of the same in a different wrapper. 

I read the top EUC racers build their own battery packs because factory "isn't great." Maybe this will be proof. Gotway quality was not good in other areas, I can understand it could be horrible here too.

Lot of speculation, but enough proof for me to wait to see how InMotion's suspension fairs.

Thanks guys, this really shed light on the rumors. 

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46 minutes ago, davinche said:

Is Gotway recalling them? AFAIK only Ewheels (and now Ecodrift) are recalling the pana 21700 battery packs.

I think it's possibly more like top-tier sellers forcing battery exchanges, and I should have stated that more clearly. Gotway is probably not going to do more than they absolutely have to. If that is the case, it's potentially very short-sighted, and could cause a similar ban to the cheap-China-hoverboard ban where poor lithium battery management caused a fire in a plane's cargo hold leading to a complete ban on low-quality imports for a while.

(I know someone who lost $150,000 because the ship was prohibited from unloading the hoverboard cargo. Of course, the Chinese were already paid, so what did they care? They didn't. And that ended a lot of sales in the short term, and led airlines to ban lithium batteries. Again, the Chinese didn't care. So in this case, it's possible we'll see more Gotway/used TESLA cell fires in the future. IF that's the case, I hope it's only a Gotway ban vs. a wheel ban.)

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5 hours ago, null said:

The Veteran Sherman has Panasonic NCR18650GA, is there any much chance these are of shady origin? Or are the issues mostly linked to rejected car batteries?

Assuming they are legitimate Sanyo GA cells, I would imagine a very low failure rate.  I wouldn't be surprised if their packs are built by the same factory that builds Gotway's batteries, and say what you want about Gotway's overall QC, their history of battery safety has been relatively good.  It's very difficult to use fake GA cells because a 3400+mAh 18650 is hard to fake (and easy to detect via range test).

Edited by Ben Kim
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Just now, alcatraz said:

There are two kinds of Panasonic GA cells. Chinese made and "overseas", probably south korean/japanese.

There is the Sanyo variant (made in Japan) and the Panasonic variant (made in China), both perform more or less identically, however from what I've seen, the batteries inside Gotway wheels use the Sanyo variant (no Panasonic logo imprinted on the wrapper).

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Thanks a lot for the info everyone, sorry didn’t want to derail here but while Panasonic and safety was at the table 😄 Glad for the Veteran.

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10 hours ago, davinche said:

Is Gotway recalling them? AFAIK only Ewheels (and now Ecodrift) are recalling the pana 21700 battery packs.

Outside looking in, I'm seeing a typical Gotway response: don't proactively address the wheels already sold and out-in-the-wild (aka recall), but just switch new wheel mid-production to the LG M50T 21700's they seem to be using now, based on current 21700 Nikola product pages.

 

7 hours ago, alcatraz said:

There are two kinds of Panasonic GA cells. Chinese made and "overseas", probably south korean/japanese.

Blasphemy! Koreans have too much pride to manufacture Japanese batteries, when they have their own market leaders in Samsung & LG, the latter whose MJ1's are in direct competition with GA's! (I'm Korean if you can't tell)

Edited by houseofjob
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15 minutes ago, WI_Hedgehog said:

Consider the following:

  • Fast charging increases the current through the battery pack, and therefore through the cells. The balance circuit resistor must bleed off this extra current.
  • When there are dead cells, the full charger voltage is applied to the remaining cells. This higher voltage is applied to the balance circuit resistor, which must now bleed off the extra current caused by the extra voltage.

In both cases, the resistor must dissipate more power than it was designed to handle, and it's a very tiny resistor as seen in BMS pictures. The resister overloads, and the balance circuit can't dissipate the extra power. In the worst case scenario the resister burns out.

Sorry, but that's wrong. There is always the same voltage (between 4.2 and 4.2xV) on the resistor - so they bleed off an equal current no matter which charging current flows.

Fast chargers probs could just arise waris  i see by now (possible) overburdening some input protection circuitry, connectors, wires, or if it were "real fast" charging overheating the batteries.

Edited by Chriull
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1 hour ago, Chriull said:

Sorry, but that's wrong. There is always the same voltage (between 4.2 and 4.2xV) on the resistor - so they bleed off an equal current no matter which charging current flows.

Fast chargers probs could just arise waris  i see by now (possible) overburdening some input protection circuitry, connectors, wires, or if it were "real fast" charging overheating the batteries.

The resistor will try to dissipate charge current when cell voltage is above 4.20V.
(Note how many cells are in Parallel doesn't matter unless there is more than one BMS, as one resistor R is used per cell group, regardless of the number of cells in the group. This is the problem with basing charger current on what the cells in parallel can handle instead of what the BMS can handle.)

P = I x E

Power is greatest at the Constant Currant -> Constant Voltage crossover point. If we take the charger to be 84V 2A (note 3A was used be the thread starter, but I'm using a more conservative 2A, and not implying his charging habits are the cause of the fire):

E (84V) / 20 cells = 4.2V average, varies by cell imbalance

I (2A) / 20 = 0.1A

P(resistor) = I (0.1A) x E (4.2V) = 0.42W (at normal clamping voltage)

However, with two dead cells:

E (84V) / 18 cells = 4.67V average, varies by cell imbalance

I (2A) / 18 = 0.11A

Granted, the balance resistor is going to try to clamp the voltage at 4.2V, but as other cells reach full charge the E across all cells tries to approach 84V:

P(resistor) = I (0.11A) x E (4.35V) = 0.48W (attempting 4.20V clamping voltage)

Not the end of the world: 1 - 0.42W/0.48W = 12.5% overload. Except the Chinese are usually trying to cut costs and don't build in a 1.5x safety factor.

If we assume the higher Gotway Low Voltage Cutoff of 3.30V (average):

3.30V x 20 cells = 66V, 66V / 4.2V/cell = 15.7 (meaning 4.3 cells can die and the wheel will still run)

So the worst case scenario is 4 cells die and the wheel still works after being charged. We can therefore calculate the very real possibility 3 cell groups die:

E (84V) / 17 cells = 4.94V average, varies by cell imbalance

I (2A) / 18 = 0.117A

P(r) = I (0.117A) x E (4.7V) = 0.55W (attempting 4.20V clamping voltage)

1 - 0.42W/0.55W = 25% overload this can burn out the resistor, which then charges the cell to cutoff.

Granted, we hope the BMS charge shutdown circuit kicks in before 4.7V, and it almost always will kick in far below that.

We do have to remember all parts have an acceptable tolerance range, which in the US is typically 5%, so if we assume China uses 10%:

4.27V shutdown with 10% acceptable variance = 4.62V (pretty close to 4.7V, isn't it?)

However, on average that's 4.48V, so we might be a bit over-estimating. Then again, @houseofjob has taken me to task for thinking this actually happens in China. Even if we tighten the assumption to 5%, that means some wheels will have 4.48V cutoffs, if the cutoff circuit is reliable.

While the numbers can be argued, what we do know though, is we're starting to see circuit boards -and wheels- burning up. (and remember, a 2A charger was used in these calculations, not a 5A Fast Charger)

 

Edited by WI_Hedgehog
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22 hours ago, xorbe said:

The stand-alone balancers that I have used balanced cells whether the battery was full or not.  I don't think "100%" matters, it's not like the balancer knows this.

Stand-alone balancers work very differently from built-in Battery Management Systems. If the EUC BMS were to do resisitive balancing 'all the time,' it would bleed energy continuously and decrease the range of the EUC.

EUC BMS perform "top-balancing" - they engage a balance resistor for a cell only once the cell voltage exceeds 4.2V. This is why fully charging matters. More here.

1 hour ago, WI_Hedgehog said:

The resistor will try to dissipate charge current when cell voltage is above 4.20V.

...clamping voltage...

No. The balance resistor follows Ohm's law. It is connected in parallel with the cell, therefore the cell voltage dictates the voltage across the resistor, and therefore its current. There is no 'clamp' (perhaps you're thinking of a diode?). Charging current will continue to flow, and the cell voltage can continue to rise. If the cell voltage (of any cell) exceeds 4.25V (Gotway), the BMS shuts off the charging input and stops charging the whole pack.

Edited by RagingGrandpa
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So assuming I'm a bit challenged in the mental department (at this point in the conversation I'm starting to feel like I am...)...

  • Is it safe to keep using my 5A charger on my 16X and 18XL?
  • Every how many charges should I charge to 100%, if not always?
  • Is it preferable to only use 5A charging when in a hurry, and set the charger to 3A for overnight charging, for instance? Speaking of which:
  • Can I safely charge my wheels overnight without worrying about waking up to the smell of BBQ's EUCs? (never done it before, but a doubt worth addressing)

 

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1 hour ago, travsformation said:

So assuming I'm a bit challenged in the mental department (at this point in the conversation I'm starting to feel like I am...)...

  • Is it safe to keep using my 5A charger on my 16X and 18XL?

Yes.

To decide which charger is better to use for saturation charge one could compare output voltages...

Quote
  • Every how many charges should I charge to 100%, if not always?

Afair there were no reports of members telling they charged to 100% every x times and the batteries got misbalanced?

Imo they had chargers with too low output voltage or never charged fully.

Concluding from this that it is safe, or how often 100% charges are needed is quite vague? (Especially if based on what i remember :ph34r:)

Quote
  • Is it preferable to only use 5A charging when in a hurry, and set the charger to 3A for overnight charging, for instance?

For the ks18xl (20s6p) 5A charging is about ~0.24C and 3A ~0.14C charging. So i won't see any real difference - it's both slow charging...

You ever tried to (estimate) charging time until green light comes on? Charging fully could take (approximately) about the same time 5A charger is faster while the CC phase, but there is more saturation charge needed while the CV phase.

Quote
  • Speaking of which:
  • Can I safely charge my wheels overnight without worrying about waking up to the smell of BBQ's EUCs? (never done it before, but a doubt worth addressing)

 

Tldr: no, but...

 

With working smoke detectors and working batteries risk should be quite low?

Quality LiIon cells should be quite stable and robust. Quality issues can be (quite) ruled out after first weeks/month of use and battery voltage/charging behaviour is "monitored" for odd bahaviour.

... and it makes a difference if the ne lives on the 7th floor of an appatment building or if obe can charge in his garage beside the house...

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4 hours ago, Chriull said:

Yes.

To decide which charger is better to use for saturation charge one could compare output voltages...

Yes it's safe or yes, I'm mentally challenged? :roflmao:

JK, thanks!

4 hours ago, Chriull said:

Afair there were no reports of members telling they charged to 100% every x times and the batteries got misbalanced?

Imo they had chargers with too low output voltage or never charged fully.

Concluding from this that it is safe, or how often 100% charges are needed is quite vague? (Especially if based on what i remember :ph34r:)

I've always charged my wheels to 100% after receiving them, before the first use. After that, I usually charged to 100% until I got the fast charger, and charged to 90% to extend battery lifespan, charging to 100% maybe every 3rd or 4th charge. But from what I've read, the benefits pf charging to 90% are negligible at best and not charging to 100% comes with risks (packs not being balanced) that I get the impression, outweigh the benefits.

4 hours ago, Chriull said:

For the ks18xl (20s6p) 5A charging is about ~0.24C and 3A ~0.14C charging. So i won't see any real difference - it's both slow charging...

You ever tried to (estimate) charging time until green light comes on? Charging fully could take (approximately) about the same time 5A charger is faster while the CC phase, but there is more saturation charge needed while the CV phase.

Thanks!

What difference is there (if any) in terms of safety / battery longevity between charging with a selectable-current fast charger set to 3A, vs. using two OEM 1.5A chargers? The OEM charger don't switch to CV do they?

4 hours ago, Chriull said:

Tldr: no, but...

 

With working smoke detectors and working batteries risk should be quite low?

Quality LiIon cells should be quite stable and robust. Quality issues can be (quite) ruled out after first weeks/month of use and battery voltage/charging behaviour is "monitored" for odd bahaviour.

... and it makes a difference if the ne lives on the 7th floor of an appatment building or if obe can charge in his garage beside the house...

Yeah. Minimal but...can't be discarded 100%. Enough for me not to do so. Especially considering I live in a 4th-floor apartment and will be spending this summer in motorhome with all cabinetry made of wood... :whistling:

Thanks for taking the time to answer, and for doing so in layman terms that even I can understand! ;)

Edited by travsformation
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On 6/5/2020 at 4:38 AM, WI_Hedgehog said:

And as @houseofjob said, anything for a buck. If Gotway marketed the wheels as having TESLA cells, and they are actual TESLA cells, they're used cells, selling at more than 18650 prices. If that really is the case, I'd cancel my Veteran order knowing that will most likely be more of the same in a different wrapper. 

How certain are we about this? What's the source of the Tesla pack pics shared in this thread and has the info been verified?

I've been pondering the idea of adding an MSP or a Nikola to my collection lately, but if the above is true, I'm very weary of getting a GW right now. Which of their wheels use Tesla cells?

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Well charging over a smart plug is a smart idea to say, you need 3 hours and 45 minutes to go from 30% to 100%, then tell the plug to switch off the power in 3 hours and 30 minutes, what would 15 minutes of power loss is to a wheel.

That is what i do with my Nikola Plus 100V with 21700 LG cells, also measure Watts and time taken etc.

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