eWheels Tucson Service Center Fire, Site Destroyed

[No1up]

I swear to christ I will NEVER buy a fucking begode anything... sick of thier fire bombs. EUCS get a bad rap because of them. And they continue pumping them out. Gotway is dead to me. 

Edited November 1, 2021 by No1up

[who_the]

9 hours ago, Jason McNeil said:

Contemplating how we're going to rebuild from this disaster is too just daunting right now. I've been slaving away for eight years now, without a salary, life, etc, everything earned has been reinvested back into the business. It is so tempting to draw a line in the sand & be done with it. 

Thank you, Jason, on behalf of the entire EUC community, for your service, professionalism and dedication to improving safety, reliability and capability of our electric unicycles. Your sales and service support has set the bar for other resellers to strive for.

Thank you also for your support for PEVRA over the years, supporting our Westwheel events, Marty's Tour, and our San Francisco to Los Angeles ride last month. We hope you are able to continue your business, but either way we wish you the very best for your future endeavors.

[No1up]

I wish he'd let us help.. I was the first one to donate. And had more to help keep the ball rolling. It's not about pride. We need eWheels. 😥

 

We love you Jason. Let us help you. We have over 10k Facebook group members. If everyone chipped in $20 bucks you'd could take a vacation, clear your mind, and rebuild.. (short vacation 😁). And I know there's people on this forum that would jump in no problem. It would mean a lot to us. We had a hand in rebuilding a company we love. It's about our community.. so let us be here for you.

 

Think about it please. 

[gon2fast]

This is so terrible. Such a shame because what was lost most likely can't be replaced. 

[Garzal]

God damn. This is terrible to hear. Bought my first wheel as an import, the rest are from eWheels. Jason and the team are awesome people.

[EUCandME]

Terrible news! I have never personally had the pleasure to deal with Ewheels. However, the community's response says it all really. It goes to show how treasured and appreciated you guys are. I have never once heard i negative comment. Hope you get through this ok!  

[paulz]

Jason: You earned the right to retire and ride off into the sunset :) 

If you do decide to come back then let us know what we can do to help.  

We'll be here.

 

 

 

[m1racl1]

So all 900wh packs are recalled ?or specific models ?

Ewheels my condolences 

[Paul A]

The quality of Gotway/Begode is such that eWheels were in the process of implementing a battery recall.

Purchasers in the US not through eWheels, and others in countries around the world, are thus left exposed and vulnerable to dangerous batteries in Begode wheels?

 

Or is Gotway/Begode undertaking with other distributors around the world to also implement a similar recall?

Edited November 1, 2021 by Paul A
typo

[Duf]

23 hours ago, Jason McNeil said:

Thanks everyone for your kind words of support. It's really not necessary, or desired, to start a GoFundMe campaign; over the years we've built up a contingency reserve for dealing with a disaster of this kind.

After the similar EUCO incident, we reviewed the storage/handling procedures for battery packs, with particular focus to the 900Wh Begodes—storing them in a low humdity industrial refrigeration unit—it's too early to say what the cause of fire was, but ruling out external factors, those packs are certainly the prime suspects.

The timing could not have been worse: we've been working on a Begode 900Wh battery recall program for some time. The first 100x LiTech replacement BMSs were shipped out weeks ago, stuck in the Christmas jam, with an additional 1000x BMSs being shipped by sea. Now that this service capability is wiped-out in a flash, does not leave much room for maneuver. 

Contemplating how we're going to rebuild from this disaster is too just daunting right now. I've been slaving away for eight years now, without a salary, life, etc, everything earned has been reinvested back into the business. It is so tempting to draw a line in the sand & be done with it. 

I have dealt with Jason since my very early steps into the EUC hobby. From the first interaction he displayed what to me was an unusual interest in customer satisfaction compared to the norm.  He has continued this policy over the years with me and many, many others, building a well deserved reputation as one of the best dealers in North America.   I can understand how an incident like this could feel like being chopped at the knees, with insurmountable challenges ahead.  

I can only speak for myself but I feel that Jason has amassed a fortune in "good energy" currency over that time period and will/would receive whatever support was deemed helpful/viable from the community if asked.  Of course the final decision is his on the path forward but I think the advice given repeatedly to take some time to carefully assess options before allowing the trauma of the event to dictate action is good.

Regardless of final outcome I am grateful for all Jason has done for the community over the years and hope he comes out of the other end of this better as a result, whatever that eventually means.

 

[EUCRookie]

I'm really wishing full recovery on this! I'm looking at ordering from you in the future, wont be a Gotway but 100% trust Inmotion and King Song!

[No1up]

Fully agree. I have $500 ready to donate and $500 more if we can hit a goal of $50k. It was already passing 1000 in less than an hour. We all love Jason and without hesitation willing to do what it takes to get him up and running again. Mayeb even better than before! 

 

Hear that Jason.... we love you. Say the word and gofundme is back up! 😁 

[Spaghetteh]

I'm so sorry this happened. As has been echoed by many in this thread already, I'm a newcomer to this sport and the trust and confidence that this community has in eWheels has given me a lot of reassurance in owning and operating these devices and I've referred everybody who's asked where to get one to eWheels. It's refreshing to see a business so dedicated and loyal to it's customers in a time when it seems every other business is just as eager to cut corners at the risk of it's customers wellbeing in the pursuit of profit. I'm more than happy to donate and help in any other way I can.

[KenO87]

2 hours ago, Paul A said:

The quality of Gotway/Begode is such that eWheels were in the process of implementing a battery recall.

Purchasers in the US not through eWheels, and others in countries around the world, are thus left exposed and vulnerable to dangerous batteries in Begode wheels?

 

Or is Gotway/Begode undertaking with other distributors around the world to also implement a similar recall?

I believe offhand, I can think of 5 cases of the wheels with 900wh packs exploding for no apparent reason. 3 Nikolas and 2 MSPs. Not sure if it happens with the larger wh models. makes me wonder also if part of the problem is the LG M50T cells cant safely handle the discharge of these wheels in just the 4P setup. But if Jason was planning a recall, we can be certain there were other cases of fire that were not posted publicly.

[NOONOO]

All of this is incredibly sad. Living outside the northern hemisphere, I've never been geographically able to buy from E-wheels. However, E-wheels has had a massive impact on the entire industry as a whole. As one of the biggest sellers of EUCs, Jason and his company have continually pushed manufacturers to improve, acting as an essential lobbying group between the hobbyists and the Chinese companies that make our wheels. The size of E-wheels and their large buying power made manufacturers actually sit up and take notice and this benefited us all greatly. I hope you and your team are able to rebuild and know that despite never being a customer of E-wheels (even if I wanted to), I'd still happily contribute to the Gofundme program, which I think is a testament to the huge amount of support and goodwill E-wheels has rightfully earned in this hobby and even the international community. Best of luck Jason. Whatever you decide to do from here, you made a genuinely positive difference to this great hobby and we thank you for it. 

[Paul A]

Uploaded September 21, 2021

burned out gotway nikola 100v 1800 Wh

 

Click the 'cc' button for English subtitles.

 

 

[LZMutant]

This is awful news.  As a loyal Ewheels customer for the past 3 years I've been the beneficiary of Jason and his team's hard work and tireless efforts in support of their customers, existing and potential.

Jason has earned the right to do as he sees fit and take the time he needs to take a breath and make the best decision for himself and his family.

My hope is this is just a bad case of "death wobbles" that he'll brush off and return from - stronger than ever.

Larry Z.
Los Angeles.

 

[Planemo]

I think that going down the route of discussing GW/Begode fires and posting pics of unrelated burnt out wheels is not productive.

Jason's first post stated 'At the time the battery packs were stored large industrial refrigeration units, signs are that the fire did not originate there' and further to that he stated 'foul-play is a possibility, which is being investigated'.

I am certainly not one to support or defend GW, but fairs fair. The cause is not yet known so lets not all get the pitchforks out already eh?

[Paul A]

The planned recall was for 900wh Gotway/Begode battery packs.

The video is of an 1800wh Nikola.

That would presumably be two 900wh batteries?

Think the video gives context to the recall, regardless of what the cause of the fire was.

 

Edited November 2, 2021 by Paul A
Typo

[Planemo]

Just now, Paul A said:

Think the video gives context to the recall, regardless of what the cause of the fire is.

This thread is nothing to do with a recall though.

It's about a fire at ewheels, which at this time has no evidence to suggest that it was caused by a 900Wh pack.

Thats the last I will say on it. Go ahead and post on this thread every GW fire you can find if it makes you feel like you are making a valid point.

[Paul A]

On 11/1/2021 at 11:22 AM, Paul A said:

Don't know for sure yet if the cause was the batteries of a particular manufacturer.

They are the stated prime suspect.

Investigations may or may not be conclusive.

Possibility of foul play also mentioned.

Have stated the same in previous post.

[Paul A]

On 11/1/2021 at 4:08 AM, Jason McNeil said:

After the similar EUCO incident, we reviewed the storage/handling procedures for battery packs, with particular focus to the 900Wh Begodes—storing them in a low humdity industrial refrigeration unit—it's too early to say what the cause of fire was, but ruling out external factors, those packs are certainly the prime suspects.

Jason has stated that those Gotway/Begode battery packs are the prime suspects.

Edited November 2, 2021 by Paul A
Typo

[Menace]

I am incredibly saddened to see this. Iv'e bought two amazing wheels from them, and there was never a doubt in my mind as to who I would be buying my next wheel from. Iv'e always received top notch customer service from ewheels, and I have never seen this level of service in any other business. It would be real sad to see ewheels go. With all the help Iv'e received from them, I would love to help out with a gofundme. I hope you take your time to think this through, Jason, and make the choice that is ultimately best for you and your future. 

[kiitick]

I just got into this hobby/sport/obsession. I bought my first new wheel from ewheels, and there support has been fantastic. They have brought a level of personal care I've never seen before in a company. I hope I'll be able to purchase many more wheels from Jason and crew, and if not, I wish them nothing but the best. 

 

[Giffy]

Sorry to hear this news. I've been worried about how the present day economy issues were affecting the EUC distribution. It seems that just as shipping is slowing down and becoming more expensive, the demand for EUCs have also become higher than ever. I've been wondering if the demand has outpaced the supply creating longer wait times alongside the shipping issues? If so, has production been scaling up to meet these demands? Also maybe off topic, have there been any logistics published about how many wheels are produced each year?

Either way, hold onto your wheels, we're in for a bumpy road ahead.