rdalcanto Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 I apologize if this has been covered, but a search for air, airline, etc., didn't find anything on this forum. It looks like in the US, based on FAA limits of lithium batteries, that EUCs with their batteries can't be transported on an airplane. If this is true, I was thinking we could ship the batteries by UPS 2 day to where we are going, and then bring the EUC with no battery in a suitcase. Would this be allowed? Obviously, there is no reason to not allow a EUC without a battery in it, but most bureaocrats who make up the rules don't seem to be interested in facts or logic.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 6 minutes ago, rdalcanto said: I apologize if this has been covered, but a search for air, airline, etc., didn't find anything on this forum. It looks like in the US, based on FAA limits of lithium batteries, that EUCs with their batteries can't be transported on an airplane. If this is true, I was thinking we could ship the batteries by UPS 2 day to where we are going, and then bring the EUC with no battery in a suitcase. Would this be allowed? Obviously, there is no reason to not allow a EUC without a battery in it, but most bureaocrats who make up the rules don't seem to be interested in facts or logic.... there might be no reason..but about 95% of all airlines forbid the transport of EUC, hover board, segway in general! with or without batterie....i know from own experience trying to bring a EUC without batterie on plane...no chance! also UPS: a li ion batterie over a certain amount of WH is "dangerous good " and very hard/difficult to send by post... Search for regulation...dangerous...or my posts...there are a lot about that.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 (edited) I might suggest taking the wheel apart into components to bring inside check-in luggage and carry-on if possible. Break it down into some plastic shells, aluminum pieces and a separate tire/inner tube to be declared as "replacement parts for a friend." You might have to bring some tools and a small electric air pump. @codersarepeople can share his experiences as well as they didn't give him any trouble, but <start Clint Eastwood voice> do you feel lucky </voice>? Or maybe ship the battery and wheel separately via cargo. Edited December 20, 2016 by Hunka Hunka Burning Love 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Googling "site:http://forum.electricunicycle.org plane" should reveal some more information. IIRC there have been mixed reports on the tolerance for taking EUCs on planes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ombre Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 If people could take their EUCs with them during air travel it would greatly expand the usefulness of the wheels. I was wondering recently if it would make sense to have a case big enough to fit the wheel for ground shipment (UPS, FedEx, etc). Then I could ship it ahead for use during city visits. But the cost of shipping a case that large and heavy would probably be prohibitive except for long visits. Even still it would be restricted to locations where ground shipment is practical, e.g., not overseas. What we really need is a new "safer" battery type ... but that's going to be a while I think. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdalcanto Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 In January and February my oldest is going to visit 4 college campuses. It would be great to take the EUCs with us to get around better! We need to find a way.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 1 hour ago, rdalcanto said: In January and February my oldest is going to visit 4 college campuses. It would be great to take the EUCs with us to get around better! We need to find a way.... Totally agree - at the moment, we pretty much have to deceive an airline into taking a wheel without knowing it, or expensively post them to our destination with all the typical organizational headaches and worries that involves. And we are such small relative numbers that 'voting with our wallets' makes zero impact on any airline. So I suppose that leaves us taking tediously slow boats instead until we discover battery technology that the aircraft industry considers 'safe'... I know it shouldn't, but it does annoy me that while they ban li-ion EUCs, they are fine with 300 li-ion phones of their customers, some of which are openly documented to have caused fires. CBR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codersarepeople Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Yep I did it on Delta with no problems whatsoever, airport security didn't even care at all. One gate agent asked me "is that a hoverboard?" and I just said "nope" and kept walking. You SHOULD be good but if something happens you're kind of up the creek. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 3 minutes ago, codersarepeople said: Yep I did it on Delta with no problems whatsoever, airport security didn't even care at all. One gate agent asked me "is that a hoverboard?" and I just said "nope" and kept walking. You SHOULD be good but if something happens you're kind of up the creek. I suppose all you can do to prevent disaster if they say no, is make sure that the person who dropped you off hangs around long enough to take the wheel for you if they refuse it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 30 minutes ago, Cerbera said: they are fine with 300 li-ion phones of their customers, some of which are openly documented to have caused fires. Yes, but tiny little fires 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Cerbera said: Yep I did it on Delta with no problems whatsoever, airport security didn't even care at all. Guess what airline I will never fly with now I had a vape cigarette that locked on in my pocket and that one little 18650 got real hot real fast. After that it would not recharge so I turned it in to a recycling facility. There is an awful lot of energy in batteries. Edited December 21, 2016 by steve454 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post 525rider Posted December 21, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted December 21, 2016 Just an idea: how about to make a rental/lease part in this forum? Sort of Airbnb of unicycles. I'd be willing to let one of mine EUC for use to someone coming to visit my city.:) We would have to set some "rules" for this. What do you think? 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 (edited) 24 minutes ago, 525rider said: Just an idea: how about to make a rental/lease part in this forum? Sort of Airbnb of unicycles. I'd be willing to let one of mine EUC for use to someone coming to visit my city.:) We would have to set some "rules" for this. What do you think? I imagine that those of us with more than one wheel would be happier about that than the rest of us I like the idea, alot, but could I trust someone with my MS3 ? And then I wouldn't have my wheel ! Aaaargh ! I think a slight variant of that plan might be more doable - what if the shops that sell wheels in big cities also get 10 rental models, and hire them out after demonstrations of proficiency etc ? Edited December 21, 2016 by Cerbera 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdalcanto Posted December 21, 2016 Author Share Posted December 21, 2016 Our first stop is USC in L.A. on 1/21 (he has an audition for the Thorton School of Music) if anyone has wheels to borrow/rent.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ombre Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 1 hour ago, 525rider said: Just an idea: how about to make a rental/lease part in this forum? Sort of Airbnb of unicycles. I'd be willing to let one of mine EUC for use to someone coming to visit my city.:) We would have to set some "rules" for this. What do you think? Hey, I'd play. Come to Tucson and you can borrow my slow Airwheel X3, no charge. Heck, if any forums members swing through here I'll buy my second wheel and we can go riding together. There aren't a lot of us actively riding, so we've got to get together when we can. And it's perfect riding weather here all winter long ... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 7 hours ago, Cerbera said: I suppose all you can do to prevent disaster if they say no, is make sure that the person who dropped you off hangs around long enough to take the wheel for you if they refuse it. But what about on the way back home? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 (edited) 11 hours ago, codersarepeople said: Yep I did it on Delta with no problems whatsoever, airport security didn't even care at all. One gate agent asked me "is that a hoverboard?" and I just said "nope" and kept walking. You SHOULD be good but if something happens you're kind of up the creek. You have been just lucky...see here under B - Battery powered self balancing personal Transportation device: http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/baggage/before-your-trip/restricted-items.html Quote: "To ensure the safety of our customers and employees, Delta will not accept the transport of balance gliders, hoverboards, powered skate boards, motorized riding suitcases and self-balancing boards of any type which use lithium or lithium-ion batteries on board its aircraft. These items are prohibited as both carry-on and checked baggage." Btw: motorized riding suitcases? Edited December 21, 2016 by KingSong69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 (edited) And in a short my Story: On my way to Holiday in Thailand i asked 2 "Check-In Supervisors" of my Airlines Emirates in Germany;DUS and in VAE;Dubai if i can bring an EUC without Batterie on board... Both answered: If without battery, it should be no Problem! So then I bought a KS16 then in Thailand.....( and had the fun holidays ever!!! :-) ) In Bangkok Thailand on my way back home the Airports and Emirates Supervisor did not allow me to bring my KS16 on board, Not in check-in baggage, not in carry-on baggage....even not with my documents/photos and letters from KS Thailand, that it is now without battery and so not dangerous anymore! Emirates did not allow self Transportation devices on board in General (even if they are without battery....). I tried/ask different other Airlines, no Chance! ...as i found out later about 90-95% had forbidden the Transport of SelfBalancers in General ....(we are talking here just about as "luggage", not as "freight", were it is still possible as "dangerous goods") You can be lucky, if you do it like HunkaBunka said...put it in pieces without Batterie in your luggage and be quiet....but i HAVE TO let the KS16 there on the Airport....who wants such a game-thrill? Edited December 21, 2016 by KingSong69 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizardmech Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 I found a way to make a lithium free supercapacitor pack a while ago, but it was about $1400 USD for a 260wh pack. Though it did have some other interesting properties, 30A charge rate and 20,000 cycles vs 500 or so on lithium. It would probably be cheaper if large volumes of capacitors were bought, I don't know if there is a market for it though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeRide Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 1 hour ago, lizardmech said: I found a way to make a lithium free supercapacitor pack a while ago, but it was about $1400 USD for a 260wh pack. Though it did have some other interesting properties, 30A charge rate and 20,000 cycles vs 500 or so on lithium. It would probably be cheaper if large volumes of capacitors were bought, I don't know if there is a market for it though. What would the dimensions of the pack be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizardmech Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 7 minutes ago, FreeRide said: What would the dimensions of the pack be? Roughly 120X250X95 mm 3.8kg, it quotes 30A continous 90A peak on the data sheet but that seems low given the ESR I would have thought you could squeeze more out of them. I would have to ask their engineers, you might be able to take hundreds of amps but life just drops from 20,000 cycles to 10,000 which is a reasonable trade for an EUC. One advantage would be regen would be far more effective and it could be charged in 10 minutes. I think range would be more like 360wh of lithium batteries than 200wh. If only they were a little cheaper they would be perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 2 hours ago, lizardmech said: I found a way to make a lithium free supercapacitor pack a while ago, but it was about $1400 USD for a 260wh pack. Though it did have some other interesting properties, 30A charge rate and 20,000 cycles vs 500 or so on lithium. It would probably be cheaper if large volumes of capacitors were bought, I don't know if there is a market for it though. As supercaps normaly work with a very low voltage...perhaps you can tell something more? What, when, how...Pictures or so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbfrese Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 6 hours ago, KingSong69 said: Btw: motorized riding suitcases? Yup: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 4 minutes ago, dbfrese said: Motorized suitcases ? Yup: Oh FFS. That has annoyed me almost as much as the bluetooth umbrella 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizardmech Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 4 minutes ago, KingSong69 said: As supercaps normaly work with a very low voltage...perhaps you can tell something more? What, when, how...Pictures or so? They look like large prismatic lipo. Voltage range is 2.4-4V. The behave much like lipo, conventional BMS systems work. http://www.paperbatteryco.com/pbc/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/20161201-pR-website-product-datasheet_v8.pdf 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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