The question of how to ship an electric bike comes up frequently in the online e-bike groups I follow. Unfortunately, too often the answers provided are incorrect or even illegal. Shipping your electric bike is not as straightforward as you may think.
Why is shipping your e-bike so difficult?
The answer is quite straightforward. The lithium ion battery that powers your e-bike is classified as a dangerous good. This means extra precautions are required when shipping it, either with or separate from your e-bike.’
A faulty or overcharged battery can heat up and explode. A post in Bicycling provides a useful summary of the dangers and potential causes of fires caused by e-bike batteries.
While not a common event considering the large number of e-bike lithium ion batteries in use, the consequences can be severe. As a result of the risks associated with transporting batteries, shipping e-bikes is challenging, especially by air.
What are the rules for shipping your e-bike by air?
The regulations for shipping your e-bike by air are common across North America. Both Transport Canada and US Federal Aviation Administration restrict the shipping of lithium ion batteries on commercial passenger airlines based on battery output. These restrictions are also in place globally with airlines that are IATA members.
The rules are very clear on the air transport of e-bike lithium ion batteries:
- E-bike batteries cannot exceed capacity of 100 watt hours. This capacity is significantly below any typical e-bike currently on the market. My earlier post will help you calculate your battery’s watt hours.
- Lithium ion batteries cannot be carried on passenger aircraft as either checked luggage or carry on if they exceed this size limit.
What options do you have to ship your e-bike?
If you are thinking of taking your e-bike on your next trip to the Rockies or doing a Southern California beach tour, you’ll need to plan ahead. Some options you can consider include:
1. Ship your e-bike with your airline while shipping your battery by courier
Airlines will accept your e-bike as cargo provided it is properly boxed and the battery is shipped separately. For help in preparing your e-bike you can check with your local bike shop or you can package it yourself. This post by UPS is a helpful guide in preparing your bike for transport.
To ship the battery by air, you will need to use a courier such as UPS or FedEx. As there are strict guidelines they need to follow, they will be able to provide advice on packaging and labeling requirements that comply with Dangerous Goods regulations.
This option requires some pre-planning to coordinate with both the airline and courier company. Check with both to confirm their requirements and to get a cost estimate.
2. Ship your e-bike with an air courier
Air courier companies like UPS or FedEx will accept your e-bike and battery for shipment by air. Contact them directly for details on their packaging requirements and insurance coverage available to protect against loss or damage. At the same time, you can confirm if there are limitations where you can ship to, particularly for international destinations.
This option also takes some pre-planning and coordination to minimize delays in getting your e-bike to your destination.
3. Ship your e-bike via a ground courier
There are fewer restrictions when shipping your e-bike with a battery via ground service. As well, the costs are likely to be lower than shipping via air. There will also be specific packaging and labelling to meet dangerous goods handling regulations. It is advisable to confirm requirements with your ground courier prior to having your bike picked up or dropping it off at the local shipping location.
Not a viable option for international destinations.
4. Rent or buy an e-bike at your destination
While you may love your e-bike, shipping it to another destination may be costly and difficult. An alternate approach is to determine if renting anis an option at your destination.
If you are planning to stay for an extended period, it may even make financial sense to buy an e-bike at your destination and sell it before returning home.
What are the penalties?
It may seem that shipping your e-bike is an expensive and difficult endeavour. As a result, there may be a temptation to ignore some of the requirements related to shipping your battery.
Please don’t. The penalties can be substantial for breaching Dangerous Goods regulations – up to $50000 in penalties can be levied. At the very least, your battery may be confiscated at security.
Share your experience
If you have had experience shipping your e-bike, share your experience here or on my Facebook page.
Good article
Grin Technologies have made an attempt to address this with their LiGo modular packs. At 98Wh each, they meet the regulations and can be snapped together at the destination to form a usable 36v pack. Of course, premium price.
https://ebikes.ca/36v-ligo-battery.html
Interesting but not sure this is a practical solution yet, especially for bikes with integrated batteries. Not sure how airlines would handle this as the total watt hours still would exceed 100.
Well they’re selling them and as for the airlines, as long as a single battery is less than 100Wh, they don’t fuss with how many. Yes, you would have to adapt the form factor to your bike of course, but that’s no huge deal. Personally, I would either rent or buy a bike at the destination. I rented one in Halifax two springs ago. Ditto in Boston.
How easy or difficult was it to rent an e-bike in another city? Did you have much choice?