Is your e-bike battery swollen, cracked, leaking, scorched or showing burn marks? Or has it been recalled by the manufacturer?
Damaged, defective and recalled lithium batteries are hazardous, and the U.S. DOT has special rules for how they’re packed and shipped, so they need careful handling.
If it’s smoking or hot
If the battery is smoking, venting, or too hot to touch, get everyone away from it and call 911. Don’t touch it or try to move it.
If it’s damaged but not actively failing
Stop using it and stop charging it. Before you move it, call us at 646-736-7716, email [email protected], or contact Bosch or your local household hazardous waste (HHW) program. A damaged pack needs instructions for its exact condition, and it can’t be transported like a healthy used battery.
Bosch advises keeping a stable defective pack in a safe outdoor spot with its contacts taped, then getting it to an approved bike retailer as soon as possible. Don’t handle a badly damaged pack with bare hands, and only tape or move it when it’s safe to and the manufacturer or receiving facility has told you how.
Disposing of it
Never put a damaged lithium battery in the trash, curbside recycling, or a regular battery drop-off box, including a Call2Recycle box. It can start a fire in the garbage truck or at the collection site. Damaged batteries have to go through a special shipping process instead (Call2Recycle runs a separate service for them that meets the DOT rules).
Check the CPSC and the manufacturer for recalls, then follow the instructions from the manufacturer, an approved bike retailer, or your HHW program. For more detail, see Bosch’s disposal guidance and the EPA’s lithium-ion battery guidance.