Author Topic: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat  (Read 4134 times)

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Offline bookah

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Title. I've had the 4-cell Antigravity battery for about 8 months. Never had any issues, pulled up to a stop sign in my neighborhood on my way home from work and the bike turned off. I was super confused, that's when I noticed a thin trail of white smoke coming from under my seat, I hopped off as fast as I could and started working the nut to get my seat off -the thing then just popped and ignited. So. Much. Smoke. 

Luckily I was able to save my seat, and I think my electronics are fine (havent tested), as I ripped the flamming battery out of the tray and chucked it (it was so melted that the wires just slid out). 

I now have the melted battery back at my house. Has anyone ever delt with this happening? What is my recourse? I bought the battery new in Oct/Nov.


pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/NtNQV
« Last Edit: July 14, 2016, 06:35:21 pm by bookah »
1978 cb550

Offline Phinn

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2016, 06:01:30 pm »
Was it a lead-acid? AGM? Or something else?

I had a conventional lead-acid battery explode recently, but it was 100 degrees in my garage, and I was throwing sparks at the vent tube from an angle grinder at the time.
1978 CB750K -- "Mouse," a former basket case, resurrected

Offline MoMo

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #2 on: July 14, 2016, 06:21:07 pm »
Any possible way the positive terminal could have touched metal?

Offline scottly

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2016, 06:24:04 pm »
This is the second antigravity meltdown in a very short time. What regulator were you using?
Don't fix it if it ain't broke!
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Offline CycleRanger

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2016, 06:31:10 pm »
Lithium-ion battery. They can fail due to manufacturing defects.
All it takes is one tiny pin hole in one of the polymer layers.
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Offline bookah

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2016, 06:40:05 pm »
Was it a lead-acid? AGM? Or something else?

Lithium-ion - it was this exact battery https://www.amazon.com/Antigravity-Lithium-Battery-Small-4-Cell/dp/B008LXULV6

Any possible way the positive terminal could have touched metal?

None. I fabbed my own tray and where the battery sits is all rubberized.

This is the second antigravity meltdown in a very short time. What regulator were you using?

I've using a new reg/rec combo unit. Yea - that first meltdown was my fault and I fried the battery before coating the tray. This battery however sits in a rubberized compartment, no metal anywhere near it. Totally at a loss for how it happened. I've been operating DAILY with this battery since installing in November.
« Last Edit: July 14, 2016, 06:41:37 pm by bookah »
1978 cb550

Offline ekpent

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #6 on: July 14, 2016, 06:47:26 pm »
 Never used one before but did notice the Amazon add said good to use up to 250cc machines. Probably not related but just readin' the add.  Sounds like a good thing you had some gloves handy.

Offline bookah

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #7 on: July 14, 2016, 06:57:33 pm »
Never used one before but did notice the Amazon add said good to use up to 250cc machines. Probably not related but just readin' the add.  Sounds like a good thing you had some gloves handy.

Yea that's more of a draw issue than anything else. And 100% on the gloves, it is very possible my entire bike would be torched if I had not yanked the thing out when I did.
1978 cb550

Offline scottly

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #8 on: July 14, 2016, 07:01:05 pm »
Not all lithium batteries are the same chemistry. The Antigravity is lithium phosphate. 
Don't fix it if it ain't broke!
Helmets save brains. Always wear one and ride like everyone is trying to kill you....

Offline turboed13b

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #9 on: July 15, 2016, 01:39:15 am »
It probably overcharged.

Offline Deltarider

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2016, 01:55:55 am »
Are you sure it wasn't a terrorist attack? They use chemicals a lot, them terrorists.
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Offline WaxhawFive

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #11 on: July 15, 2016, 04:24:01 am »
Can you share a pic of the install and the battery tray.  You say you fried the first one before coating.  That means that it was only the coating that was preventing the contact?  What kind of coating?  Was it a rubber sheet, or a spray-on coating?
Good thing about your quick action and the gloves!

Offline Swoop

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #12 on: July 15, 2016, 04:46:21 am »
Perhaps you chose too small of a battery? 6 AH?

Offline thirstforspeed

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #13 on: July 15, 2016, 07:53:10 am »
i had a Shorai (that didnt fail like yours, but was also destroyed).
what happens, at least with the Shorai, but probably with all LIFePo batteries, is that during use only the cells connected to the posts get charged. The cells in between the posts do not get charged directly since there is no battery management gear in the battery case. so, you end up getting a 'gradient' of capacity across the multiple cells in the battery, where the inner cells are not as drained/charged as the other ones.
so, what may have happened is the battery was drained significantly and then overcharged, and because it was very small in comparison to the original battery, resulted in a lot of overcharging/heating in a localized manner within the battery.
disclosure: im not a battery engineer guy, just someone who asked a bunch of questions to the shorai guys when my battery borked itself.

Offline bookah

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #14 on: July 15, 2016, 09:33:45 am »
Can you share a pic of the install and the battery tray.  You say you fried the first one before coating.  That means that it was only the coating that was preventing the contact?  What kind of coating?  Was it a rubber sheet, or a spray-on coating?
Good thing about your quick action and the gloves!

tray is fried and looks nothing like it did beforehand unfortunately :(

I actually did 3 different things to the tray, i first sprayed it in a rubberized spray paint, then I wrapped it in electrical tape, and then for the battery compartment I put down soft adhesive pads (not by terminals of course) so that the LiPo battery sat firmly and snugly in a cocoon of sorts. There is just no conceivable way metal could have gotten to it.

The first one ended up being salvageable and not completely fried, I accidentally made contact while fitting it to the tray. I hooked it up to a LiPo trickle overnight and it was fine.
1978 cb550

Offline riffman12

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #15 on: July 15, 2016, 09:35:21 am »
yikes. Glad that didn't turn out worse!

Offline turboed13b

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #16 on: July 15, 2016, 02:02:53 pm »
Can you share a pic of the install and the battery tray.  You say you fried the first one before coating.  That means that it was only the coating that was preventing the contact?  What kind of coating?  Was it a rubber sheet, or a spray-on coating?
Good thing about your quick action and the gloves!

tray is fried and looks nothing like it did beforehand unfortunately :(

I actually did 3 different things to the tray, i first sprayed it in a rubberized spray paint, then I wrapped it in electrical tape, and then for the battery compartment I put down soft adhesive pads (not by terminals of course) so that the LiPo battery sat firmly and snugly in a cocoon of sorts. There is just no conceivable way metal could have gotten to it.

The first one ended up being salvageable and not completely fried, I accidentally made contact while fitting it to the tray. I hooked it up to a LiPo trickle overnight and it was fine.

Lipo and life batteries are different chemistry you can blow it up if you charge it on a lipo charger.

Offline nicks2319

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Re: Holy Sh*t - antigravity battery just exploded under my seat
« Reply #17 on: July 15, 2016, 02:52:20 pm »
pics