WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning on Monday about the risk of "serious injury and death" from Unit Pack Power lithium-ion e-bike batteries. The commission said the public health and safety requires this notice to warn the public quickly of the fire and burn hazard.
The CPSC recommends consumers stop using Unit Pack Power batteries that have model numbers U004 or U004-1. The batteries are black, triangular, and are sold as batteries to convert pedal bikes to e-bikes. They have "U004 BATTERY" or "UPPBATTERY" printed on the side. The model number is printed on a separate label on the battery pack.
The batteries have not been certified by an accredited laboratory to the applicable UL safety standard. They are manufactured by Shenzhen Unit Pack Power Technology Co. Ltd. — d/b/a Unit Pack Power or UPP, of China — which has refused to conduct an acceptable recall.
According to the CPSC, 13 people in the U.S. reported the battery overheated, including seven reports of fire and property damage. The batteries reportedly were also involved in multiple fires in the United Kingdom.
Sold under the brand-name "Unit Pack Power" or "UPP" online at AliExpress, Amazon, DHgate, eBay, Walmart, other online retailers, and at unitpackpower.net from 2018 through April 2024, the batteries cost between $280 and $730.
Consumers should dispose of the batteries in accordance with any local and state ordinances, following the procedures established by the local municipal recycling center for damaged/defective/recalled lithium-ion batteries because these potentially hazardous batteries must be handled differently than other batteries, the CPSC said. Do not throw this battery in the trash or deposit this battery in used battery recycling boxes found at various retail and home improvement stores, the CPSC added.
Report incidents involving the Unit Pack Power batteries, or any product-related injury, to the CPSC.
