# E-bikes on planes?



## Gemini2k05 (Apr 19, 2005)

Anyone know what the general rule is on this? Specifically on United? I was going to take my megatrail on the plane this weekend, but I'd rather take the YT Decoy if I could.


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

Gemini2k05 said:


> Anyone know what the general rule is on this? Specifically on United? I was going to take my megatrail on the plane this weekend, but I'd rather take the YT Decoy if I could.


Aren't lithium batteries prohibited?


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## EABiker (Jun 24, 2004)

I don't think the aisles are wide enough to maneuver much.


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## Gutch (Dec 17, 2010)

UPS or Fed Ex Battery, then fly bike? Or just ship the bike


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Currently a nightmare issue that needs to get sorted


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

fc said:


> Currently a nightmare issue that needs to get sorted


I'm not sure how it will be tbh.

If batteries were all modular, you could maybe break them down and ship them in 100wh chunks. But they're not. There's less and less standardization between manufacturers, and from model year to model year, which would make renting a battery at your destination a fairly impossible business proposition. The euros have found that it's easier and cheaper to simply rent an ebike on the other end.


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## Gutch (Dec 17, 2010)

craigsj said:


> Except that shipping rules for large LiIon batteries are problematic as well.


All these manufacturers are shipping their ebikes somehow. YT will ship from CA to me in SC. There's gotta be a way.


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## motoguru2007 (Dec 13, 2007)

Im am dealing with this now. 

Option 1. Bike flights will ship your bike without battery. It is then a regular bike.
You ship your battery separate via ground.

Option 2. There is hazmat certification for packing e-bikes. If you get the certification you can pack the battery in the bike. but since its 540 Watts its not allowed on plane.

Its a hassle for sure but doable and expensive.


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

Existing battery tech is never, ever, going to be allowed on planes. We can hope things get better, of course. To be fair, you can't put a motorcycle or a lawnmower full of gas on a plane either. C'est la vie. Things that can catastrophically catch on fire don't fly.

There's really nothing to discuss. Ship your battery or whole bike separately. Or rent at your destination. You're not going to fly the bike with the battery on it. 

-Walt


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## BIke N Gear (Sep 27, 2004)

motoguru2007 said:


> Im am dealing with this now.
> 
> Option 1. Bike flights will ship your bike without battery. It is then a regular bike.
> You ship your battery separate via ground.
> ...


Just went through this myself. Option 3 was to ship via Shipbikes.com. Not sure why they allow you to ship ebikes and bikeflights.com doesn't, but they do. Could be because one uses Fedex and the other now uses UPS.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Harryman said:


> I'm not sure how it will be tbh.
> 
> If batteries were all modular, you could maybe break them down and ship them in 100wh chunks. But they're not. There's less and less standardization between manufacturers, and from model year to model year, which would make renting a battery at your destination a fairly impossible business proposition. The euros have found that it's easier and cheaper to simply rent an ebike on the other end.


100wh chunks? Interesting. That is a tough one since although doable, a 500wh will become much bigger and heavier.

I think a likely scenario is some destinations will have batteries for rent. Levo or Shimano battery would be a decent start. Whatever it is, Europe will figure it out. They've been wrestling with this issue for a bit now.


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## BIke N Gear (Sep 27, 2004)

craigsj said:


> bikeflights ships e-bikes: https://www.bikeflights.com/electric-bicycle-shipping
> 
> e-bike batteries can be shipped ground but you need a certified shipper
> 
> ...


Well, bikeflights ships ebikes* if* you are a certified hazmat shipper. Which takes about 2 hours and costs $200 every other year to remain certified. Not practical for most people. So their answer is to ship the bike with them and the battery via some other method, which is not easy to do these days.
HOW TO SHIP A CLASS 1 OR CLASS 3 E-BIKE WITH BATTERY INSTALLED

"E-bikes shipped with their batteries installed via BikeFlights.com MUST be packed by someone with a current HAZMAT certification applicable to safely preparing e-bikes for shipping.

If you don't have a current HAZMAT certification, you can ship your e-bike with battery installed with BikeFlights.com per the following options:

Become a Certified Shipper- You can become a HAZMAT certified shipper by completing an online HAZMAT certification program. We recommend the Labelmaster HAZMAT shipper program, which typically costs ~$200, takes approximately two hours to complete and is good for two years. After you complete the course, please email your HAZMAT certificate to [email protected] Once we receive your certification, we will send you our BikeFlights.com E-bike Shipping Agreement] to e-sign. Upon receipt of the signed agreement, we will activate your BikeFlights.com account to ship e-bikes within 72 hours."


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## BIke N Gear (Sep 27, 2004)

craigsj said:


> So if I lose my certification, they stop shipping e-bikes? Did you feel corrected and need to make an argument?
> 
> A package cannot be shipped without complying with law. That's would be true for every shipper including shipbikes. I hope you're not suggesting that a lack of information equates to a superior service.


Not at all. I think there might be a difference in how Fedex treats ebikes with a battery installed (used by Shipbikes) vs. how UPS treat ebikes with battery installed now being used by Bikeflights.

When I spoke with Fedex, they pointed to me to the article which explains how an ebike can be shipped (by ground only) via Fedex. Since Bikeflights now uses UPS it seems that they treat the same bike setup differently.

I just think it's good info to have if you have an ebike to ship. Prior to shipping an ebike this week I have always used Bikeflights. Never even knew of Shipbikes.


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## Bigwheel (Jan 12, 2004)

Not going to play nicely with proprietary systems like Bosch, Shimano, Brose etc. but useful information perhaps for other needs and tailored to getting wh's through security.

https://www.ebikes.ca/product-info/ligo-batteries.html

Just an FYI


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## Jake January (Sep 12, 2014)

Gemini2k05 said:


> Anyone know what the general rule is on this? Specifically on United? I was going to take my megatrail on the plane this weekend, but I'd rather take the YT Decoy if I could.


United airlines is the worst for any bike..
They gouged me $300.00 in SF for my folded Brompton, just because it is a bicycle.
I'll never fly on United again.
Southwest on the other hand will let a Brompton on carry on as it will fit in the overhead bin of a 737.


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## Haggis (Jan 21, 2004)

I’m surprised they still let laptops and other largish L-ion batteries like on board passenger planes. It’s not really consistent.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Haggis said:


> I'm surprised they still let laptops and other largish L-ion batteries like on board passenger planes. It's not really consistent.


They put the limit at 100wh. Makes sense if a line needs to be drawn.


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## encouragable (Dec 24, 2011)

Walt said:


> Existing battery tech is never, ever, going to be allowed on planes. We can hope things get better, of course. To be fair, you can't put a motorcycle or a lawnmower full of gas on a plane either. C'est la vie. Things that can catastrophically catch on fire don't fly.
> 
> There's really nothing to discuss. Ship your battery or whole bike separately. Or rent at your destination. You're not going to fly the bike with the battery on it.
> 
> -Walt


Nothing to discuss? Isn't this a discussion forum?

Pardon me as I'm new here but you smell like a troll bent on banning all emtbs. Do you even have one? Every other post you put up is 'motorcycle'. Appreciate the options, future and specs put forward so far by others.


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## honkinunit (Aug 6, 2004)

I think the ebike on a plane issue is driving shops in Colorado to start renting eMTBs, I know that several are along the front range. A friend of mine recently rented a Pivot Shuttle from Golden Bike Shop and apparently it is rented almost constantly. BTW, GBS is highly recommended if you are renting on the Front Range, all of their bikes are in great shape and they give you a full 24 hours of rental time rather than forcing you to race back to the shop to return by closing time. 

Commencal also rents out of their HQ in Golden, but they are closed on weekends and require that you return the bike by the end of the day. 

For someone visiting Colorado and wanting to see what CO mountain biking is all about, renting an eMTB and hitting the Jeffco trails is a great idea. Especially if you are from sea level! You can rent in Golden and ride from the shops directly to the trails, so no issue with figuring out how to haul the bike, on a plane, or even in your vehicle. Park at the shop, ride your butt off, and hit one (or more) of several local brewpubs without having to drive around. 

BTW, Poison Spider in Moab is renting eMTBs as well, and there are great trails open to ebikes there. Too bad the inmates running the asylum in that town saw fit to ban ALL ebikes from the PAVED bike path that leads up to the lower Gemini Bridges and Bar M parking areas. Moab now has epic traffic problems in town and the locals ***** about too many cars, but they ban ebikes on their paved bike paths?


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

encouragable said:


> Nothing to discuss? Isn't this a discussion forum?
> 
> Pardon me as I'm new here but you smell like a troll bent on banning all emtbs. Do you even have one? Every other post you put up is 'motorcycle'. Appreciate the options, future and specs put forward so far by others.


I have one, and I'll probably have another one soon. That has nothing to do with the difficulties of flying big Li-Ion batteries (or anything else potentially flammable), though, yeah? They can catch on fire, so planes don't allow them. So, as pointed out at the very beginning of the thread and repeated ad nauseaum, your options are basically to ship the bike/battery another way, or else to rent a bike at your destination.

There's nothing to discuss because this issue is just about batteries and airplanes, not bikes or e-bikes at all. Unless battery tech changes in the future (we can hope) the airlines aren't going to allow your battery on the plane.

-Walt

-Walt


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## MattMay (Dec 24, 2013)

And for the record @encouragable Walt is the polar opposite of a troll. Do your homework.


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

encouragable said:


> Nothing to discuss? Isn't this a discussion forum?
> 
> Pardon me as I'm new here but you smell like a troll bent on banning all emtbs. Do you even have one? Every other post you put up is 'motorcycle'. Appreciate the options, future and specs put forward so far by others.


You couldn't be more wrong.


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

Walt said:


> I have one, and I'll probably have another one soon. That has nothing to do with the difficulties of flying big Li-Ion batteries (or anything else potentially flammable), though, yeah? They can catch on fire, so planes don't allow them. So, as pointed out at the very beginning of the thread and repeated ad nauseaum, your options are basically to ship the bike/battery another way, or else to rent a bike at your destination.
> 
> There's nothing to discuss because this issue is just about batteries and airplanes, not bikes or e-bikes at all. Unless battery tech changes in the future (we can hope) the airlines aren't going to allow your battery on the plane.
> 
> ...


We're only 20-something posts in, but I've been wondering why this is a topic too. I mean a valid question but as you mentioned, this is ultimately about shipping a battery.
I wonder how many people who would like to ship their e-bike are angry with the passenger to their side charging a Samsung tablet from 2 years ago. LOL


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## Haggis (Jan 21, 2004)

^Zactly! Any Li-ion battery is potentially a fire risk, just look at how many manufacturer recalls there have been.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Forest Rider said:


> We're only 20-something posts in, but I've been wondering why this is a topic too. I mean a valid question but as you mentioned, this is ultimately about shipping a battery.
> I wonder how many people who would like to ship their e-bike are angry with the passenger to their side charging a Samsung tablet from 2 years ago. LOL


I don't know.... it seems like a pretty rich discussion to me. I'm learning about the rules, limits and dangers.

Pretty much everyone on the plane has a lipo battery these days. And those are even more sketchy than li-ion batteries.

How about some magicshine!!


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## Bigwheel (Jan 12, 2004)

"E-bikes shipped with their batteries installed via BikeFlights.com MUST be packed by someone with a current HAZMAT certification applicable to safely preparing e-bikes for shipping.

Become a Certified Shipper- You can become a HAZMAT certified shipper by completing an online HAZMAT certification program. We recommend the Labelmaster HAZMAT shipper program, which typically costs ~$200, takes approximately two hours to complete and is good for two years."

So taking this into account it seems like it really isn't that hard to become HAZMAT certified to ship ebikes with batteries, and perhaps batteries on their own, if it only costs $100/annum and a few hours of filling in an online form. Seems like it would be a good thing for eBike Stores to get this certification and become shipping centers going forward.

The world is going more and more towards battery powered just about everything. Goes without saying all the phones, tablets and laptops are probably the most prolific and have heard isolate instances of them catching on fire and back in 2014 the Boeing 787 fire was well covered and did more than anything to bring attention to Li batteries flying around. A good article here: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-lithium-ion-batteries-grounded-the-dreamliner/

if you want the fear of god factor this article will bring it: Battery Fires Create Concerns For Every Electric Bike Owner - Updated 2/3/2019 - Jimmy Mac On Two Wheels

Bottom line is to take precautions with Li chemistry batteries no matter if they are in your phone, cordless tool or eBike and abide by the laws of transport because they can be hazardous.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Bigwheel said:


> "E-bikes shipped with their batteries installed via BikeFlights.com MUST be packed by someone with a current HAZMAT certification applicable to safely preparing e-bikes for shipping.
> 
> Become a Certified Shipper- You can become a HAZMAT certified shipper by completing an online HAZMAT certification program. We recommend the Labelmaster HAZMAT shipper program, which typically costs ~$200, takes approximately two hours to complete and is good for two years."
> 
> ...


Love the info. Thank you!!!


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## hikerdave (Mar 8, 2006)

I’d rather not fly on a plane with an energetic high-capacity battery on board, even if it’s my own. Boeing had to add an almost 200 lb battery box to the 787 just to protect the plane from its own APU battery.


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## hikerdave (Mar 8, 2006)

Bigwheel said:


> "E-bikes shipped with their batteries installed via BikeFlights.com MUST be packed by someone with a current HAZMAT certification applicable to safely preparing e-bikes for shipping.
> 
> Become a Certified Shipper- You can become a HAZMAT certified shipper by completing an online HAZMAT certification program. We recommend the Labelmaster HAZMAT shipper program, which typically costs ~$200, takes approximately two hours to complete and is good for two years."
> 
> ...


Shipping a battery is too much hassle for too little benefit for me; I think that I'd just rent an eBike at the destination or just enjoy the trails by hiking. But I'm the guy who once thought that the act of putting a bike on a car rack is an abomination; bikes are transportation; not cargo.


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## Bigwheel (Jan 12, 2004)

hikerdave said:


> Shipping a battery is too much hassle for too little benefit for me; I think that I'd just rent an eBike at the destination or just enjoy the trails by hiking. But I'm the guy who once thought that the act of putting a bike on a car rack is an abomination; bikes are transportation; not cargo.


Well good for you. I also don't see any need to ship an eBike anywhere but that doesn't mean that others won't for whatever their reasons.

As far as stand alone batteries go there are several scenarios that would involve shipping such as returns for warranty purposes, whether via an individual or bike shop, battery rebuilding services are cropping up and in the future will see more and more business and just the act of getting a spare battery whether manufacturer direct, online sales or used via an ad service are a few.


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## b1rdie (Mar 11, 2011)

I have ordered one battery on e-bay and have used the box to ship the battery by mail from France to Brazil without problem, a 10 day wait. Even withou speaking good french, could easily convince the unfriendly post officer, having the original invoice of the spare batteryes and the manuals also helped. At a cost of 100 euros for taking the bike with me on the flight without batteryes, on a 10 day trip it was a deal.


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## burpp (Feb 12, 2007)

Jake January said:


> United airlines is the worst for any bike..
> They gouged me $300.00 in SF for my folded Brompton, just because it is a bicycle.
> I'll never fly on United again.
> Southwest on the other hand will let a Brompton on carry on as it will fit in the overhead bin of a 737.


agreed, united is the worst .period!


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## portnuefpeddler (Jun 14, 2016)

I don't understand the problem I guess. Get your own plane and do your own thing. I usually carry my battery/batteries in an outside aluminum belly pod, and don't worry much about them just spontaneously igniting inflight. I worry about that about as much as I worry about a static spark from a plastic fuel jug, a pretty infinitesimal risk. The fun and advantages of packing the bike along makes it worthwhile to me, like a 41 mile ride up the East Fork of the Salmon River last weekend to an old mine site. And landing on a 8200' ridge on the way home, so not enough extra weight to make the plane useless of off airport play. 

As far as an airline packing my bike, no way, I wouldn't even ask, a whole different deal.


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