In recent years, with the rise of the express delivery industry, the use of electric bicycles has increased, and the product of smart charging cabinets has gradually been favored by groups such as takeaway brothers.
However, is this smart charging cabinet, which claims to integrate charging, storage, and anti-theft functions, safe?
A set of experiments conducted by Ningbo Fire has sounded the alarm for everyone.
On the morning of November 16, the fire department conducted a safety experiment on the smart charging cabinet at Qijiashan Station of Ningbo Beilun Fire Rescue Brigade.
The experiment selected two common smart charging cabinets on the market, one is a double-layer fire-proof and explosion-proof smart charging cabinet, but it does not have the function of extinguishing fire; while the other integrates a temperature sensing system and a sprinkler system. It can quickly spray water in the event of a fire to prevent the fire from spreading.
Firefighters charge several dismantled electric bicycle batteries to full charge, and then put them in the charging cabinet to continue charging, thereby simulating overcharging.
Three groups of open-air, yellow explosion-proof charging cabinets and green induction charging cabinets were set up in the experiment.
After the experiment started, only a few tens of seconds later, the battery in the open-air control group emitted black smoke. Three minutes later, the battery exploded and the fire was fierce.
The situation of the yellow explosion-proof charging cabinet is different. The battery will also show black smoke after tens of seconds. As time goes by, the black smoke gets bigger and bigger, and bursts of pungent odors are also emitted.
Three minutes later, there was an abnormal noise in the cabinet, and the battery deflagrated in the cabinet. After the cabinet door was opened, the fire became significantly larger.
However, the explosion-proof function of the charging cabinet isolated the fire in the charging compartment and did not spread.
A technician from a smart charging cabinet manufacturer introduced that the highlight of this charging cabinet is the explosion-proof treatment of its plates. Even if an explosion occurs in the cabinet, it will not affect the outside world.
Next is the green fire-extinguishing charging cabinet. After one minute of charging, black smoke also appeared in the charging cabinet.
But the difference is that an alarm sounded in the charging cabinet, water began to drip from the gap in the cabinet door, and the water spray fire extinguishing system was activated, preventing the impending battery deflagration.
When you open the cabinet door, you can see that the battery is half submerged in water and there are traces of burnt, but the appearance is basically complete.
Comparing the two smart charging cabinets, the latter is better, but both have a fatal weakness, that is, they cannot control smoke.
According to Zhang Xin, a member of the Beilun District Fire Rescue Brigade, some smart charging cabinets are installed downstairs in the community, even in express delivery stations and stores selling electric bicycles, which still pose a certain degree of danger.
Like an open flame, dense smoke is also very dangerous, not to mention that the smoke produced by the burning of a battery may contain toxic substances.
Therefore, the smart charging cabinet seems to be safer than taking it home to charge. In fact, since it cannot prevent the smoke from spreading, it still has a safety hazard and needs further improvement.
(Headquarters reporter Cao Meili and Du Jinming and Wu Wenxuan)