The battery doesn’t have to fly
However, that is not the end of the story. Even if you can’t fly with this 500Wh battery, it is still possible to fly with your e-bike with enough advance planning. The trick is to ship the battery via a ground service like UPS or FedEx Ground.
Both UPS and FedEx Ground provide instructions for shipping lithium-ion batteries. The regulations for lithium-ion batteries are defined by the UN hazardous substance number 3480 You can find the UPS guide herewhile You can find the FedEx guide here. FedEx Offers Further information can be found here.
The hurdle for most e-bike owners is the correct packaging of the lithium-ion battery. The guidelines published by UPS and FedEx provide detailed instructions on packaging requirements.
For anyone who has been thinking about purchasing a replacement battery for their e-bike, this would be a great reason to make the purchase. Since ground shipping can take up to seven business days for the battery to arrive at your destination, you can continue riding with a spare battery until it’s time to pack up your e-bike for travel.
This is particularly helpful when purchasing a replacement battery: When the new battery is shipped to you, it will be delivered in the exact packaging that you plan to use to ship the battery to your destination.
If purchasing an additional battery is not in the budget, please contact the packaging company Uline makes special shipping containers for lithium-ion batteries.
Should I ship the entire e-bike?
Shipping your e-bike through a service like UPS Ground has advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that it is easier not to fly by bike when traveling to and from the airport. A big disadvantage is that shipping an e-bike is more expensive than shipping a regular bike.
The effort is higher for two reasons. Firstly, e-bikes weigh three to four times as much as a normal bike. Second, e-bikes typically cannot be disassembled as much as regular bikes, so they are shipped in boxes that are larger than traditional bike boxes.
A larger, heavier box is double the cost, but you can certainly ship an e-bike to your destination.
Another benefit of shipping your e-bike is that if an airline damages your e-bike during transit, it may not compensate you to your satisfaction. If a shipping company damages your e-bike, they have a compensation process that is backed by user-purchased insurance.
We have not yet come to the end of the reasons why you should consider shipping your e-bike to your destination. That whole discussion earlier about packing your battery for shipping? When you ship your e-bike, the battery will be shipped in your e-bike under certain conditions.
- 1. Reduce battery charge to less than 30% to limit cell-to-cell combustion.
- 2. Turn off your battery, remove all keys and ensure that your battery cannot “turn on” during transport.
- 3. Protect your e-bike and its battery by using particularly dense foam padding.
- 4. Pack your e-bike in a large and sturdy box that is suitable for e-bikes, such as the Bikeflights Bike Box Large (BBL).
- 5. Completely remove or cover ALL bulk shipping hazmat markings like these:
While this may not be the answer most readers were expecting, we believe this is one of them The easiest solution might be to use the Bike Flights service. Their entire business is based on shipping bikes. They have negotiated rates with the major shipping companies and help streamline the process for users.
A word of caution: Shipping an e-bike is easiest if your destination is within the contiguous 48 US states.
Traveling with an e-bike may not be easy, but with a little advance planning it is possible. And there is nothing better than exploring a place from the saddle of an e-bike.
