Hazmat Certification Fee $30.00

All e-bikes and e-bike batteries must be shipped with documented Hazmat Certification. There are now severe federal penalties for shipping any type of lithium battery through post without dangerous goods documentation. We as retailers face prison and substantial penalties. 

For E-bike batteries, the Hazmat certification is the paperwork and labeling required to transport any DGIS. This insures that both carrier companies and its employees are aware of the risks in transporting these batteries. All companies who are shipping batteries must comply with safety standards in packing, labeling, and insuring that the contents meet federal codes.

For any product that contains a lithium battery such as an e-bike, laptop, cellphone, or other device, hazmat label is required. The larger the battery, the higher the shipping and hazmat fees. Voltaire Cycles Company complies with both Fed Ex and UPS shipping regulations and charges a flat $40 for any E-bike or E-Bike battery sold and shipped from the company.

The following excerpt is from an excellent online resource for battery technology:Battery University.Please visit the website for more detailed information.

"Know the hazardous material rules and lithium content when carrying batteries.

Unresolved airplane crashes that were likely caused by batteries catching fire onboard during flight include the Asiana Airlines 747 near South Korea in July 2011, a UPS 747 in Dubai, UAE in September 2010 and a UPS DC-8 in Philadelphia, PA in February 2006. These events prompted changes to the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria in how batteries are certified for transport under UN 38.3.

Safety prompted authorities to tighten the rules when transporting batteries. Although lithium batteries get the most attention, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says that based on records from 1991 to 2007 it was only a factor in 27 percent of all incidents. Lead acid, NiMH, NiCd and alkaline are also to blame. Reports say that short circuit, a preventable problem that can be solved with better packaging, is the largest problem. Figure 1 shows unprotected cells that can cause an electrical short by touching; propagation can create a chain reaction releasing a large amount of energy.

Lithium-based Batteries

The largest changes in shipping directive are with lithium batteries, and with good reasons. Li-ion is the fastest growing battery chemistry and already in 2009, 3.3 billion Li-ion were transported by air. Safety is an ongoing concern, and an airline-pilot union asked the FAA to ban lithium batteries on passenger aircraft. This came into effect in 2016 and lithium batteries are now shipped in cargo airplanes only.

Lithium batteries can only be transported after passing UN 38.3 testing requirements. In spite of these precautions, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recorded 138 airport and air incidents between 1991 and 2016 involving lithium batteries. They involved smoke, heat and fire related to battery-operated devices such as e-cigarettes, laptops and mobile phones. Some incidents occurred before takeoff and the batteries were removed from the aircraft. Battery fires in flight were extinguished with halon type fire extinguishers and water, by placing the damaged device in a thermal battery containment bag that some airlines carry. Failing batteries in the cargo hold that were inadvertently checked into luggage required emergency landings.

Not all incidents are reported to the FAA, but the number of reported incidents is up from 2015. Recorded failures in 2016 alone involved 13 e-cigarettes, four laptops, seven mobile phones/tablets and seven spare batteries. E-cigarette incidents increased notably, while mobile phone and laptop events remain moderate considering the number of such devices in use.

Since 2008, lithium batteries can no longer be placed in checked baggage; they must be carried onboard...(read more here).