WattCycle batteries

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. No one hurt

   Made Mar 28, 2026 · , sent to the company Apr 1, 2026 · , published by CPSC Apr 15, 2026

   The product, in the report: The company name is WattCycle. Product name is “Wattcycle LiFePO4 2560Wh 25.6v 100Ah” and their similar product that is equally hazardous is “Wattcycle LiFePO4 1280Wh 12.8v 100Ah”. The dimensions are 19 x 9.4 x 6.6 inches for the 25.6v 100Ah model. The 12.8v model is roughly half the size. The battery case is black, with the wattcycle logo on each side, with product specifications printed on the sticker. These batteries are used in RVs, boats, solar energy storage systems, backup power, etc.

   The battery company “WattCycle” is selling chemically unstable and unsafe batteries, advertised as “Grade A” (brand new). When a LiFePO4 battery is severely undercharged below 2.5 volts (the manufacturers specified max cutoff limit) the battery is to be considered scrap and must be discarded appropriately. I have recieved a lithium battery from them advertised as “like new” grade A cells. Each cell read .17 volts, which is 14 times lower then the absolute discharge safety limit. I contacted them in regards to this, and they told me to attempt to charge them fully and test them. Upon charging them, all 4 cells swelled severely and put much tension on the busbars. I told them I would like a replacement. Heres their response, quoted. “Thank you for your update. For the tension on the busbars, you can simply use cable ties to secure the cells together. This should keep them stable and safe for use. There is no need to return them or request a replacement.” Cell swelling is caused by extreme gas buildup inside, causing delamination and potential internal shorts and is likely of thermal runaway. Now moving on to my real problem, as I bought more of their cells listed as “grade A” two out of a dozen i bought in a order were also severely undercharged. I contacted them, and they refused to replace them, saying its not covered by our warranty. As for one of the battery packs that had good testing cells like the rest of them, two have severely physically damaged cells. One, being crushed. The other, having very deep dents. I ended up using both of these damaged cells, since the internet for years has told me that the chemistry Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) is very safe and unlikely to have mishaps. The cell that had crush damage, ended up having a thermal runaway, causing a fire in my trailer. The cell was installed in the center of my energy storage system, and spread to the neighboring cells. The fire department spent over an hour spraying the whole build in water, and it would continue reigniting. Luckily I have no injuries, however did breathe fumes, and was indeed in extreme danger due to the cell having a primary pressure discharge/explosion, taking a bright flash fireball to my face, luckily the flame was so brief it did not cause me to suffer burns. According to sources, obviously any physical deformation of these battery cells causes it to be hazardous and unusable due to the changes in shape internally. I am a very experienced battery builder, doing this for over a half a decade, and spending even more time beyond that watching thousands of [REDACTED] videos on battery builds and battery/energy science. My biggest point in this lesson, is that in my small sample of two dozen battery packs purchased from wattcycle (for pulling out cells for repurposing), BEYOND the fact that they are selling scrap unstable batteries and being encouraged to use them with no worry, is the companies dangerous act of using damaged cells in their battery packs that they cell across the nation and globally. If in my statistic of every 24 battery packs, there are two damaged cells, I cant imagine how many products with these issues are in the hands of consumers who are using them heavily each day, and in critical areas aswell such as a house and garage. I am trying to take this to court and get my losses reimbursed which is currently around 3,000 dollars. More importantly, they need to be investigated for recklessness and negligence with their products. This may warrant product recalls. I have documented absolutely everything from photographing the damaged cells even before my battery build began. Email logs from wattcycle, videos of the fire from minutes before the event, during the event, and after the event. Provided will be my phone number, I can answer any further questions and send all the evidence on request. The EPA had to get involved due to the firefighters water washing lithium battery material and chemicals down the storm drain on the side of the road, leading to lake erie. My residence is 8 minutes from shores. My local fire department was unable to take posession of these unstable batteries due to the risk. They for 4 days now have been laying distanced in my backyard. We still are not sure on how to get rid of them.

   Model

   WT24V100AH100

   Bought from

   wattcycle.com

   Bought

   Mar 18, 2026

   Where

   oregon, Ohio: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 23, Unspecified

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand WattCycle, made or sold by SHENZHEN WASHI ENERGY CO., LTD. dba WattCycle

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources