EUC safety and redundancy - a shoutout to all manufacers

[one_wheeler]

Hey there,

as many of you, I'm a total sucker for EUCs. I think there's no better way to get around. But I don't have to tell you the benefis, I'm here for the real drawback:

Safety.

I've read many stories about cutoffs and the resulting danger and injuries. To be honest, after several 1000km, I'm thinking of changeing to a bike or something. I know, someday my ride will reach the end of its lifespan and I will most likely faceplant that day. Hopefully with no car behind me.

Honestly, I don't get why manufacturers don't tackle this problem. The segway PT solved that problem nealy 20 years ago. They got full redundancy down to the windings of the motor. My collegue sold over 200 of them, and not one of them ever had a cutoff. There was Segways reported with over 100000km when I remember correctly. (before it got aquired by Ninebot that threw all the good technology out the window for profit margins)

This thread is mostly to raise attention for manufacturers that saftey is something customers want. At least for me, I would pay a very good extra for real safety.

As I am CTO of a company that designs safety-critical parts (certified by european norms), I have a pretty good idea of what I'm demanding. I would be happy to help or give advice, if needed. Designing something safe can be done even with a small team and a market that is still at the beginning.

If you read this and also want badly want a EUC with real safety, reply and like this post.

 

[Murdomeek]

"segway PT" Do these go 65+ km/h and ride in traffic with cars?  15mph spills on a pathway anyone can walk off.  

I would argue the majority of cutouts is from user error by ignoring the beeps/tiltback warnings.

There really isn't anything a self balancing vehicle can do if you force lean into it unlike non-balancing ebikes/scooters that just max out the speed.  

 

These wheels are also made in china with cut-throat competition, labor, regulations, and margins.  A made in USA company can make a top tier 2020 wheel and sell for $10k (or 20k at low volume), but who would buy it at that price?

Edited September 24, 2020 by Murdomeek

[Toad]

Experts believe that the market for "safer" electric unicycles is most promising at the lower-speed end, 15-25 km/h.  These are pilots who would rather go jogging-speed, and pay for quality, than fracture a hip.

[DjPanJan]

11 hours ago, one_wheeler said:

sories about cutoffs and the resulting danger and injuries. To be honest, after several 1000km, I'm thinking of changeing to a bike or something. I know, someday my ride will reach the end of its lifespan and I will most likely faceplant that day. Hopefully with no car behind me.

 

How others say often is not cutout.

Is overlean created by rider stupidity (i am one of stupid rider i panic acelerate because staford dog start chasing me and megaluck/miracle/angels save me i handle situation on my 16X) and not fall.

Is UNIcycle no chance to safety mechanism what can prevent faceplant. Always i have in mind i can fall after next 3 second this is why i wear 1000 euro/dolar  gear wit full face helm.

This sport is not for all. You can only minimalise potential problem simply often open EUC  and check/test all internals if not wear/damaged. 

EUC what is 3th or more batches is propably good safety state. If rider use EUC same way how manual/manufacturer recomended is rock solid device.

Who no have "balls" to EUC buy e-scooter. All EUC is China and this not change in next 10 years propably we are in state take it or leave it.

Best is purchase from local good dealer who is person you belive and 1 or 2th year send him EUC to full check or do it yourself.

I personaly want IP68 water resist EUC none of manufacturers offer this i pay exra 500eur/dolar no problem for real water resistance.

EUC is made of +- 400parts(random number of my head) if you count all ectronic part separately.

Is little miracle all work no issues example 5 years/X thousand Km/miles perfectly. 

My rule i say people about safety EUC  ride first 100Km slowly if EUC no have error 100km is like rock solid.(faster version is 20km ride include hudge incline where EUC is close to max temp or overheat if survive this easy  after 20km is rock solid too)  

 

 

[Nostris]

I would also agree that the vast majority of face plants are caused by operator error. If it tilts back or bleeps at you, back off. To keep pushing is exactly like driving your car over a cliff....it will end in tears!

[Meserias]

one_wheeler: you worry too much and forget to live your life 😀

I’m not saying that you should speeding like a crazy man, but you can reduce your medium traveling speed so that event you expect (?!) will happen at slower speed. First and foremost, ride a wheel with plenty battery so that you will never get “battery anxiety” or "range anxiety" for that matter.
It this way it will never cutoff if you have good care fro your wheel.

Then look for ways to improve your riding style.
It's way too fun to ride an EUC to drop it for a bike.

[.....]

14 hours ago, one_wheeler said:

Hey there,

as many of you, I'm a total sucker for EUCs. I think there's no better way to get around. But I don't have to tell you the benefis, I'm here for the real drawback:

Safety.

I've read many stories about cutoffs and the resulting danger and injuries. To be honest, after several 1000km, I'm thinking of changeing to a bike or something. I know, someday my ride will reach the end of its lifespan and I will most likely faceplant that day. Hopefully with no car behind me.

Honestly, I don't get why manufacturers don't tackle this problem. The segway PT solved that problem nealy 20 years ago. They got full redundancy down to the windings of the motor. My collegue sold over 200 of them, and not one of them ever had a cutoff. There was Segways reported with over 100000km when I remember correctly. (before it got aquired by Ninebot that threw all the good technology out the window for profit margins)

This thread is mostly to raise attention for manufacturers that saftey is something customers want. At least for me, I would pay a very good extra for real safety.

As I am CTO of a company that designs safety-critical parts (certified by european norms), I have a pretty good idea of what I'm demanding. I would be happy to help or give advice, if needed. Designing something safe can be done even with a small team and a market that is still at the beginning.

If you read this and also want badly want a EUC with real safety, reply and like this post.

 

Im all for it. If you can add safety and redundancy to the wheels without compromising on ANY of the other aspects.... hell yes I'm all for it. I think the reasons we wont see this happen soon is varied and many. Money is one. Market stability is also another. I'd love to see an euc company take you up on your offer. Even better, I'd love to see a usa born euc company that competes on all levels and isnt more than double the cost. Find some like minds and start an euc cmopany where you're from? I know its a matter of time before I get injured fairly seriously. I am willing to accept this fate shall it come true. As with anything, you can make it more dangerous, less dangerous, or choose not to play at all. Rock climbers are a good example. Those retards like it even more when there's no added safety, even tho technology can provide it.

[mhpr262]

I learned how to ride on a 350W wheel and then spent quite a few kilometers riding that underpowered thing without any problems, even though I weigh 130kg. As long as you mind the beeps and are careful with obstacles that require a power surge you will be OK.

Edited September 25, 2020 by mhpr262

[BFE Duke]

I wonder what percentage of cutouts are from component failure vs overlean vs pothole. I've seen more than one video where they swore it just randomly cut out, but when you slow down the vid and go frame by frame, it's clear they hit a pothole and it oversped into a cutout. I think the introduction of suspension is a major step in the right direction for reducing cutouts. 

[Daley1]

The problem these days are the speeds we are traveling and the alerting/failsafe systems .Wheels are cutting out because people are switching off speed-related  tiltback , Not hearing speed-warning alarms because of riding wind and road noises, and asking their wheel  to perform at the level of a full 100% battery when the battery percentage is much lower. All these lead to sucking asphalt. Smart alarms that read battery percentages, and tiltback at battery percentages that is not speed related, seem reasonable ways to stop some of these .Audible alarms seem unsatisfactory due to wind and road noise so "haptic feedback' is a more sensible choice. Speed is good but knowledge, understanding ur wheel, and smarter alarms are better! 

[one_wheeler]

I totally anticipated "grow balls" aswers.

I found it very funny as you mentioned rock climbers, as I'm very much into alpine climbing.

I think we do not want the same from our wheel. I see it as the best, most fun and most compact way to get around on a daily basis. Apparently, some of you see it as a elite thing that you have to be cool/skilled/badass enough to even consider doing and thats sets you apart from other people. I can tell you, even with built-in redundancy, it will still be like that.

That's because you're right that most (>90%?!) accidents happen because of a driver-error. My 2 falls at nealy topspeed of my V8 also happended that way. Now, some km later, I feel comforable riding it without the chance of a driver-related error beeing higher than rinding a bike. But i absolutely HATE driving with thinking about it might cutoff.

Let's not argue about within this community. Those things are awsome and I want to ride it. Some want to ride it as a sport with 65km/h, a fullface helmet in the wildest conditions, some want to use it as a way for everyday transport and only with a helmet and without pads (imagine the market size for people living in cities). Your guess of 10-20k€ for a safe wheel is far off. My inmotion was 1200€ if I remember corretly. A realistic guess for a "safe" version of it would be 4-5k€ max, which is not more than a good electric bike and I woud buy one without any hesitation.

 

Edited September 27, 2020 by one_wheeler

[wheel-life]

43 minutes ago, one_wheeler said:

A realistic guess for a "safe" version of it would be 4-5k€ max, which is not more than a good electric bike and I woud buy one without any hesitation.

 

I'm with you, would love the option to pay more now vs potentially paying much more later with medical bills & lost wages...unfortunately, probably needs to go more mainstream before a company can try that strategy out.

Edited September 27, 2020 by manieuc

[mploy1515]

Sorry, I'm totally new to EUC's, but when you all say "cutouts", what exactly are you referring to?

For example, what I'm envisioning is the wheel completely turning off, including self-balancing, making you faceplant; which is why I'm thinking that. 

For gods sakes I hope that's not what you mean...

 

[.....]

55 minutes ago, mploy1515 said:

Sorry, I'm totally new to EUC's, but when you all say "cutouts", what exactly are you referring to?

For example, what I'm envisioning is the wheel completely turning off, including self-balancing, making you faceplant; which is why I'm thinking that. 

For gods sakes I hope that's not what you mean...

 

Yes, thats what it means. Yes, its a valid concern. Yes, we keep going on and on about it because its a BIG deal. They can be caused by numerous things, but not limited to hardware failure. A lot of 'cutouts' are due to 'overlean'. Overlean is a rider asking more than the wheel can provide. Some people define a cutout as one that is NOT rider induced, hence the wording 'overlean'. Luckily, 'cutouts' are rare on properly maintained and tested wheels. You want bad odds, ride a 'onewheel'.Electronics usualy fail very early on, or very late in life. If your wheel makes it a few miles just fine, it will probably be fine for a long time. Of course, batteries are finicky and imperative to the operation. You MUST take care of the batteries. Bad batteries from improper charging and storage, can lead to voltage issues and induce 'cutouts'. Still, this is not really a fault of the wheel. Overlean is just physics. If you as a rider demand more from a wheel than it can physically offer (motor or batteries), you may wind up on your face. Some wheels warn you, but the warning is not a crystal ball that predicts the future. A lot of times a 'cutout' can be heat induced. @Marty Backe has good vids of him punishing wheels until cutout. Cutout can also be from voltage sag and the circuit collapses entirely once it reaches too low a drop.

I try not worry about it. If you REALLY don't want to accept the (likely) chance that euc riding will eventually injure you in some fashion, you may want to pick another adventure. Personally, i think its well worth it. Yes, its a matter of 'when' not 'if' I crash. Looking back at my life, its pretty obvious I'm willing to roll those dice and accept my fate when it happens. The euc community if full of older men/women with 1000's of miles. Obviously it a dice roll that hasnt too bad of odds. If you stack the deck, even a mild injury won't stop you for long. Buying cheap, generic, beaten and or underpowered wheels, stacks the odds against you. Good maintenance, decent awareness, fair overhead and a grasp of reality, will help you play longer with less issue. I expect a LOT from my wheels. In turn, I diligently inspect and repair them after every beating. So far, I've not been issued a true 'cutout' that wasnt rider induced and on purpose. What can I say, a little mten aint made to climb soggy mountain yards...I won't lie, there's a list of bones I'm assuming I'll break, when one happens to me at speed. I'm assuming the asphalt will dine on my flesh and my t-shirt. . merely a formality.

Edited September 28, 2020 by ShanesPlanet

[Marty Backe]

8 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Yes, thats what it means. Yes, its a valid concern. Yes, we keep going on and on about it because its a BIG deal. They can be caused by numerous things, but not limited to hardware failure. A lot of 'cutouts' are due to 'overlean'. Overlean is a rider asking more than the wheel can provide. Some people define a cutout as one that is NOT rider induced, hence the wording 'overlean'. Luckily, 'cutouts' are rare on properly maintained and tested wheels. You want bad odds, ride a 'onewheel'.Electronics usualy fail very early on, or very late in life. If your wheel makes it a few miles just fine, it will probably be fine for a long time. Of course, batteries are finicky and imperative to the operation. You MUST take care of the batteries. Bad batteries from improper charging and storage, can lead to voltage issues and induce 'cutouts'. Still, this is not really a fault of the wheel. Overlean is just physics. If you as a rider demand more from a wheel than it can physically offer (motor or batteries), you may wind up on your face. Some wheels warn you, but the warning is not a crystal ball that predicts the future. A lot of times a 'cutout' can be heat induced. @Marty Backe has good vids of him punishing wheels until cutout. Cutout can also be from voltage sag and the circuit collapses entirely once it reaches too low a drop.

I try not worry about it. If you REALLY don't want to accept the (likely) chance that euc riding will eventually injure you in some fashion, you may want to pick another adventure. Personally, i think its well worth it. Yes, its a matter of 'when' not 'if' I crash. Looking back at my life, its pretty obvious I'm willing to roll those dice and accept my fate when it happens. The euc community if full of older men/women with 1000's of miles. Obviously it a dice roll that hasnt too bad of odds. If you stack the deck, even a mild injury won't stop you for long. Buying cheap, generic, beaten and or underpowered wheels, stacks the odds against you. Good maintenance, decent awareness, fair overhead and a grasp of reality, will help you play longer with less issue. I expect a LOT from my wheels. In turn, I diligently inspect and repair them after every beating. So far, I've not been issued a true 'cutout' that wasnt rider induced and on purpose. What can I say, a little mten aint made to climb soggy mountain yards...I won't lie, there's a list of bones I'm assuming I'll break, when one happens to me at speed. I'm assuming the asphalt will dine on my flesh and my t-shirt. . merely a formality.

[mploy1515]

9 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Yes, thats what it means. Yes, its a valid concern. Yes, we keep going on and on about it because its a BIG deal. They can be caused by numerous things, but not limited to hardware failure. A lot of 'cutouts' are due to 'overlean'. Overlean is a rider asking more than the wheel can provide. Some people define a cutout as one that is NOT rider induced, hence the wording 'overlean'. Luckily, 'cutouts' are rare on properly maintained and tested wheels. You want bad odds, ride a 'onewheel'.Electronics usualy fail very early on, or very late in life. If your wheel makes it a few miles just fine, it will probably be fine for a long time. Of course, batteries are finicky and imperative to the operation. You MUST take care of the batteries. Bad batteries from improper charging and storage, can lead to voltage issues and induce 'cutouts'. Still, this is not really a fault of the wheel. Overlean is just physics. If you as a rider demand more from a wheel than it can physically offer (motor or batteries), you may wind up on your face. Some wheels warn you, but the warning is not a crystal ball that predicts the future. A lot of times a 'cutout' can be heat induced. @Marty Backe has good vids of him punishing wheels until cutout. Cutout can also be from voltage sag and the circuit collapses entirely once it reaches too low a drop.

I try not worry about it. If you REALLY don't want to accept the (likely) chance that euc riding will eventually injure you in some fashion, you may want to pick another adventure. Personally, i think its well worth it. Yes, its a matter of 'when' not 'if' I crash. Looking back at my life, its pretty obvious I'm willing to roll those dice and accept my fate when it happens. The euc community if full of older men/women with 1000's of miles. Obviously it a dice roll that hasnt too bad of odds. If you stack the deck, even a mild injury won't stop you for long. Buying cheap, generic, beaten and or underpowered wheels, stacks the odds against you. Good maintenance, decent awareness, fair overhead and a grasp of reality, will help you play longer with less issue. I expect a LOT from my wheels. In turn, I diligently inspect and repair them after every beating. So far, I've not been issued a true 'cutout' that wasnt rider induced and on purpose. What can I say, a little mten aint made to climb soggy mountain yards...I won't lie, there's a list of bones I'm assuming I'll break, when one happens to me at speed. I'm assuming the asphalt will dine on my flesh and my t-shirt. . merely a formality.

Ugh, I was fearing this is what everyone meant with 'cutout', just didn't want to believe it....... as this sounds akin to a cars brakes just giving out, and not working all of a sudden, basically?

Another thing, when you talk about improper charging, this is something else that bugs me. On my KS-16x, or any batteries / chargers like this -- do I plug into the wheel first, then to the power outlet when charging? This is how I was advised to do on my Zero 9 e-scooter apparently, making me realize that there IS / CAN BE a proper charging technique.... frustratingly, I just can't seem to fine one resolute answer that everyone has settled on for my wheel; i think at least.

I know this should be for a different thread / topic, but figure I'd ask while this was brought up, as it does pertain to battery failure causing cut-out.

Overall, I'm still going to be riding of course. I've accepted the "when, not if" scenario of a bad crash like a lot of us. It's because of this though, I will never take up riding motorcycles, but for an EUC I can live with that, only going usually no higher than 25 mph really, and with full gear (helmet, elbow, wrist, knees), not in the flow of traffic like a motorcycle or crazy high speeds.

I have to admit, very early on when I first got my wheel and doing little practice sessions, I never wore any gear. Not because I didn't believe in it, but I was simply waiting for it to arrive in the mail. But, my first ride 'out' onto actual asphalt (basketball court), I fell off my wheel going a measly 2-3 mph probably. Landed on my knee and palm, of course, and even at that low speed I saw and was humbled by how bad it dinged up my knee to the point where it's barely healed 3 weeks later. Nothing major at all,  just a bad abrasion, but it was that alone that got me scared enough to not ride again until my protective gear arrived in the mail. Classic lesson of "even at low speeds..." that we hear about a lot, but I guess was still humbled it actually happened to me.

After my gear arrived too,  I've been in 2-3 minor falls afterwards, and 100% of the time those falls have been direct knee / elbow / wrist / palm contact. It works people. And above all, respect the wheel. 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2020 by mploy1515

[null]

22 minutes ago, mploy1515 said:

Ugh, I was fearing this is what everyone meant with 'cutout', just didn't want to believe it....... as this sounds akin to a cars brakes just giving out, and not working all of a sudden, basically?

A car without brakes will roll to a halt, this is more like the car suddenly disappears, leaving you floating mid air like an old school cartoon. (hence the need for protection) Luckily this is rare, most "cutouts" seem to come from people overpowering the wheel (going past warnings, pushing when low bat)

Edited September 28, 2020 by null

[RockyTop]

I am all for a safer model, kinda like I am all for an electric car. Sure, make it, Sell it, build a following of customers. When you have it perfected it will become standard. Maybe Volvo or Tesla should get in the EUC market if we are going to sell them for $5k. Just don’t make me buy it. Let the people that want safer wheels perfect them first. 
 

As stated before, I don’t think most people realize how different each rider is. I picture an old stuffy British banker dressed in 1940’s attire going a blistering speed of 10 mph and a skate boarder  that intentionally rides the EUC faster and faster until it nose dives just for fun- No big deal!  For some people it really is no big deal. 
 

I have had several cut outs. All my fault. ( Hitting bumps past top speed, taking off with a dead battery thinking I was at 100% not hearing the beeps because of winter gear.) 

Edited September 28, 2020 by RockyTop

[mploy1515]

3 hours ago, null said:

A car without brakes will roll to a halt, this is more like the car suddenly disappears, leaving you floating mid air like an old school cartoon. (hence the need for protection) Luckily this is rare, most "cutouts" seem to come from people overpowering the wheel (going past warnings, pushing when low bat)

Well i figured that, just didn't want to spell it out -- really scary nonetheless. As new rider, im for sure respecting the wheel! Thanks!!

[Murdomeek]

On 9/27/2020 at 6:22 AM, one_wheeler said:

I totally anticipated "grow balls" aswers.

I found it very funny as you mentioned rock climbers, as I'm very much into alpine climbing.

I think we do not want the same from our wheel. I see it as the best, most fun and most compact way to get around on a daily basis. Apparently, some of you see it as a elite thing that you have to be cool/skilled/badass enough to even consider doing and thats sets you apart from other people. I can tell you, even with built-in redundancy, it will still be like that.

That's because you're right that most (>90%?!) accidents happen because of a driver-error. My 2 falls at nealy topspeed of my V8 also happended that way. Now, some km later, I feel comforable riding it without the chance of a driver-related error beeing higher than rinding a bike. But i absolutely HATE driving with thinking about it might cutoff.

The quality of EUC's in 2020 is getting pretty up there.

If you're just going to cruise at 20-30kph on dry roads, any big wheel will be able to handle that no problem as long as its not near dead battery.

A "cut out" that is not rider error is literally the motherboard crapping out by fluke.  I bet if you looked at the data for non-rider error motherboard crap outs, it'd be on par with almost all consumer electronics fail rates. 

Maybe you can design your own ESC and make it way over spec'd and bulletproof.  But the return on investment is not worth any company doing. 

 

The only other realistic option for you is to send a wheel to one of the EUC veteran riders, and pay him a few hundred to beef up all the connections, and pot the entire insides with silicon

[Felix]

1 hour ago, Murdomeek said:

The quality of EUC's in 2020 is getting pretty up there.

If you're just going to cruise at 20-30kph on dry roads, any big wheel will be able to handle that no problem as long as its not near dead battery.

A "cut out" that is not rider error is literally the motherboard crapping out by fluke.  I bet if you looked at the data for non-rider error motherboard crap outs, it'd be on par with almost all consumer electronics fail rates. 

Maybe you can design your own ESC and make it way over spec'd and bulletproof.  But the return on investment is not worth any company doing. 

 

The only other realistic option for you is to send a wheel to one of the EUC veteran riders, and pay him a few hundred to beef up all the connections, and pot the entire insides with silicon

There is just not enough figures and stats available to be able to say if today's wheels are safe or unsafe. Everything is anecdotal, and what often is described a equipment failure might just be an overlean. Seems a few people though have experienced multiple controller board failures and that hopefully is a statistical anomaly. What would make me feel safer though is to have 2 independent controller boards, one in hot standby at all times, I would pay extra for that. Its why I have 2 disks in my Synology NAS - disk failure is also something quite unlikely but makes me feel a lot safer to have 2 disks 

[WIZARD]

Just a minor technical point about Face Plant.

Its kind of a generic catch all phase which is intended to strike horror and panic.

Often a person experiencing a Cut Out does Not land on their Face. It actually might be nice if it could be relied on that they Did land on their Face.

Just ask anyone who has had Cut Outs (and lived).

The wheel goes LIMP instantly.

That does not mean it neatly rotates forward resulting in teeth being pushed through the back of your neck.

Unerringly a rider has alittle more weight on one peddle or the other or is unbalanced bla bla bla and suddenly you are contorted into a ragdoll having just been dumped outta a cement mixer.

There is no predicting your attitude upon splitting on the pavement.

No getting your arms neatly together, forward and braced for impact.

You might hit backward, sideways or certainly on the back of your throat.

You leave your once civilized wheel friend with the violent toss of a drunk mother in law.

This is why the Cut Out is so feared. It is Not just a straight forward Fall.

You fall in an unpredictable heap with almost NO chance of bracing or protecting yourself.

Luckily, almost ALL Cut Outs are caused by greed and selfishness.

Once an individual realizes that SPEED causes ALL accidents.

He can slow down.

Or continue to act surprised and bewildered.

"OMG. I had a Cut Out. I wonder what happened. Let's all sue the manufacturer for making faulty unsafe products."

Dum ass.

STOP GOING SO GOD DAM FAST!!!!

 

[Rawnei]

3 hours ago, WIZARD said:

Dum ass.

STOP GOING SO GOD DAM FAST!!!!

Calm down, speed is not why people fall, accidents can happen in all speeds but inexperience, bad judgement or ignoring risks is a big factor in many accidents.

[Meserias]

Wizard wrote: "Dum ass. STOP GOING SO GOD DAM FAST!!!! "

hey, wizz relax a bit, we are know what speed means, but sometimes we need more adrenaline.
Try to understand that we are all different.

Edited August 26, 2021 by Meserias

[FlyingWigs]

On 9/28/2020 at 8:07 AM, mploy1515 said:

Another thing, when you talk about improper charging, this is something else that bugs me. On my KS-16x, or any batteries / chargers like this -- do I plug into the wheel first, then to the power outlet when charging? This is how I was advised to do on my Zero 9 e-scooter apparently, making me realize that there IS / CAN BE a proper charging technique.... frustratingly, I just can't seem to fine one resolute answer that everyone has settled on for my wheel; i think at least.

Mainly what is called for is not storing your wheel either full or empty charge. somewhere around 70% is generally accepted. leaving it charged for too long will make the cells lose voltage sooner, and leaving the wheel empty for too long will fade the capacity of the cells. some also recommend only charging to 80% unless really needed as this will make the pack last longer and prevent early cell failure (in the years of it's life, not each use).

as far as the charger plug in first to wheel or the wall, I have no clue, it should be fine to plug into the wall first as they are all "smart chargers" not just a simple power supply.