Rad Power Bikes Introduces Safer Battery Pack: Safe Shield Technology
Safe Shield is different from other batteries in that each cell within the battery is surrounded by a heat-absorbing resin. Batteries made this way are called “potted,” and this is a product design that is already in use in EVs, where the risks posed by a fire are far greater.
The heat-absorbing resin is designed to prevent the spread of heat in the event that one cell is compromised. By drawing heat away from the cells, the resin used in Safe Shield is meant to prevent thermal runaway from taking place.
Rad Power Bikes still specs top-shelf cells. Safe Shield batteries will feature either Samsung or LG cells. This is a 48V, 720Wh (15Ah) battery, and it is certified to UL’s 2271 standard for e-bike batteries.
In terms of backward compatibility, Rad Power Bikes says that the Safe Shield battery will work with all models that were current in 2020 or later and use external batteries. No word yet on the availability of semi-integrated batteries.
Not only is the new Safe Shield battery safer, it will also increase an e-bike’s potential range. According to Rad Power Bikes, the Safe Shield battery will increase the range of e-bikes currently equipped with a 14Ah battery by 7 percent. RadTrike owners will see a 50 percent range increase. RadMission owners will see a 43 percent range gain.
Every battery comes with a set of keys for battery security.
The Safe Shield battery can be preordered now. Rad Power Bikes anticipates that batteries will begin shipping May 15, 2024.
TassieDi says
Interesting. As a Bosch system user, I wonder what the response from Bosch is. Are they already using a safer system like this?