Safety first for e-bikes as charge trial starts
Eighty e-bike charging stations or docks will be set up in Jiading District by the end of the year.
A trial run has begun at some villages and communities in Jiangqiao Town.
At Xinghuo Village in Jiangqiao Town, there are 48 charging docks where residents can charge their e-bikes by simply scanning a QR code with their smartphones.
"Beforehand I charged my e-bike at home. After watching the news that electric bikes caught fire when charging on TV, I was very worried. Now with the charging station, I can charge my e-bike safely," a resident surnamed Yao said.
Charging cards are available for residents who don't use smartphones. The smart charging system can tell bike owners that their batteries are too old to be charged and will pose a fire threat.
The charging facility was built by Shanghai Jiebao.
King Smart Information Technology Co. Gu Jie, its chairman, said the intelligent remote control system can detect problems when charging and raise an alarm in time.
One four-hour charge costs about 1 yuan (16 US cents).
At Xinghuo Village there are a total of 115 charging docks at five charging stations.
"Villagers can walk to their home within three minutes after charging their e-bikes, so it is very convenient," Zang Weirong, deputy director of the village community, said.
A new electric bike charging station has been built at the Fuyou Jiayuan neighborhood, providing residents with a clean and safe space to charge their e-bikes.
All the charging stations have been equipped with intelligent remote control systems to ensure safety. So far there are more than 3,100 charging docks in Jiading.
In recent years there have been many cases of fires caused by charging e-bikes illegally.
In 2019, five people were killed and 27 injured after a fire broke out in a residential building in Guilin in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
An e-bike parked on the first floor of the six-story building caught fire around 6am, trapping people upstairs, which resulted five people dead at the scene. Among the injured, six suffered serious burns.
Most of the fires are caused by illegal use of electricity in public places, and as a result, Jiading will make efforts to create a safer living environment to the residents.
